What Defines Us
by mikotyzini
Summary: In life, we're presented with moments where we can grow - opportunities where we can succeed - paths we can take which will lead us to love, glory, and happiness. But what happens when our hopes and dreams don't match up with what the world demands of us? What happens when we're forced to take a different path...one we never imagined for ourselves to begin with?
1. Chapter 1

**The moment has finally arrived! You guys probably don't know how long I've been working on this story...basically forever. A year? More? A long time. And it's a long one. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!**

 **I plan on posting updates weekly, which means this will take nearly a year to complete.** **Also, I've started a P/atreon account! You can find it under the same username. The 2nd chapter of this story is already up for patrons. :) check it out!**

 **Last thing - I've only watched the first three seasons of RWBY and I've only watched those seasons once. So...I don't know much about the more intricate details of the RWBY-verse. If I have something in here that's been proven incorrect in the show, please bear with me on that!**

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This time of year the ground was hard. The top layer of dirt was still frozen through with frost as if refusing to accept the end of winter. Whatever blades of grass there were to be found crunched loudly underfoot, making it impossible to walk quietly, but also difficult to be caught by surprise.

She'd always enjoyed the winter weather as the onset of spring began to announce its presence through tiny shoots of green peeking out from the brown. The visible clouds that escaped her mouth with every exhale, the chill that snuck into her bones no matter how many layers she wore, the way ice and frost slowly released their holds on the dormant land…this was the end of winter in Atlas, which stubbornly lingered for as long as possible rather than slipping wordlessly into spring.

This was the weather she'd grown up with. This was the weather she was accustomed to. But, if she was completely honest, she'd be forced to admit that she missed the warm springtime of Vale - where winter disappeared with nothing but a whisper of white amongst a sea of green, purple, red, pink, and every color in between...where the sun's rays were enough to thaw away any last breath of cold.

But being nostalgic at this moment served her no purpose. She wasn't in Vale. She wasn't even in Atlas right now. She was out in the middle of nowhere where the city lights ceased to exist and wilderness claimed every bit of space surrounding her.

Alone. Just like she wanted to be.

If there was any benefit to this weather, it was that it was perfect for hunting. Twigs and branches snapped easily as Grimm passed through the trees. The frozen ground wouldn't allow the creatures to dig their giant claws into it, removing a small advantage of speed and agility that the terrain normally afforded them. These two factors would certainly play into the outcome of the night, when she tested her skills against the worst the forest had to offer.

The test would begin soon - as the pack of Beowolves trailing her had become almost obnoxiously loud while she led them deeper into the woods. There was no good reason for pushing further into Grimm-infested territory, yet she pressed on. Her pace was steady and controlled while she ducked under branches and dodged around thorn bushes. Even as her pulse began to accelerate, she didn't allow her pace to creep up from the combination of adrenaline and apprehension. Her current speed would be enough to keep the Grimm behind her - for now.

Her eyes and training led her in the direction of a patch of trees which appeared only moderately lighter than the others. Following that invisible path, the forest grew thinner and thinner as the trees spread apart and suddenly fell away into an open clearing.

It was a decent sized space and likely existed only to serve the small pond set within the ring of trees. The banks were muddy and she would wager that the water would be icy cold if dipped into. The rest of the clearing was a mixture of compacted dirt and the first efforts of grass to return to the area. Bumpy, with some old debris strewn about, it would serve her purpose.

Racing to the edge of the pond, which would act as a natural barrier behind her, she skidded to a stop right before the dirt turned into a sticky mud. Raising Myrtenaster in her left hand, she spun to face her pursuers as they crashed out of the tree line on her heels.

A surge of adrenaline swept through her veins as she readied for battle, yet sight of the Beowolves was mildly disappointing. It was only a group of ten, which wasn't anything she couldn't handle on her own. The purpose of traveling this far was not to find an easy battle - it was to find a struggle that might be out of her reach.

Disappointment fell into action as the Beowolves rushed across the clearing towards her. Her eyes instantly pinpointed the howler - the one Beowolf left behind to call any Grimm in the vicinity to the battle at hand. Every combat strategy she'd ever been taught began and ended with eliminating the howler as quickly as possible. Cutting off their call would keep the fight contained to the local level and prevent it from potentially snowballing out of hand.

But there were only ten…

Eyes shifting away from the howler and to the nearest Beowolf, she surged forward with a glyph under her feet. The slight jolt of Myrtenaster contacting skin and bone sent another kick of adrenaline racing through her veins as the creature collapsed to the earth behind her, only to fade into black ash and drift away on the breeze.

One.

The next two lined up for her perfectly, allowing her to dash into the space between them and swipe left and right to dispatch them in succession. Immediately ducking as a set of claws sailed over her head, she skated backwards several steps to reevaluate the remaining Grimm. There were eleven now - four more joining the fight in the time she'd spent destroying the first of them.

This section of woods must be densely populated for them to be showing up so quickly...

Another howl cut through the air while numbers four, five, and six rushed her all at once from different directions. In the time she had before they reached her, she summoned glyphs behind each of them before shooting through in rapid succession - taking their hearts with her. If Grimm had hearts, which she was certain they did not.

Growls and snarls filled the air now - that and her own breathing as her heart raced with energy. The pounding was exhilarating - proving to her in no uncertain terms that she was absolutely not one of the creatures she sought to slay. Somewhere, deep down, she was still human - living, breathing, with a soul.

There was no time to count Beowolves now because her entire focus needed to remain on those that were on the cusp of attacking her...but there were a great deal more than when the fight had begun. Every second there was a claw slashing through her vision as they charged from every direction but from behind her. The pond had, thankfully, given her only 180 degrees that she needed to defend. Almost as if it was her -

Taking a quick step out of the way of another attack, her foot unexpectedly caught a divot in the ground and sent her pitching forward. Correcting into a tumble, she jumped to her feet as fast as she could while swinging Myrtenaster blindly for protection. Catching an arm and causing the Beowolf to howl in anger, she sketched a path between the Grimm to another bend of the lake. As she flew through them, she slashed and stabbed constantly - trying in vain to thin their ranks. New enemies were arriving faster than she'd anticipated, lining the edge of the forest in black with glowing red eyes.

Reaching a clearer patch of land, she planted her feet before being swept instantly back into the fray. Her temporary escape had been nothing more than a momentary reprieve that had bought her maybe two seconds of additional damage done. Considering the howls ripping through the night and the constant flash of black and red crossing her vision, she needed much more than two seconds to tilt the scales in her favor.

A dot of concern pricked the back of her mind. If there had been more time to adequately analyze the situation it might have been a flash of fear, but there was no opportunity to analyze anything. There was only time to breath, react, and survive.

Summoning a greater portion of her power, she drew a large glyph on the ground before using considerable energy to thrust it forward - throwing half of the beasts backwards with one flick. Some of them howled as they slammed into the trees before falling to the hardened ground and struggling back to their feet.

It wasn't enough to kill them, but it was enough to give her a little breathing room and hopefully prevent her from having to concede anymore ground to the onslaught. The swarm of Beowolves in the clearing was forcing her steadily backward, inch by inch. Already she could feel the slight gumminess in her shoes as the ground grew more and more saturated by water. She couldn't let them push her too far back -

Ripping her weapon out of the nearest Grimm, the black dust was still swirling in the air as a giant claw swung through it. Jumping backwards, she then burst forward to run the Beowulf through with Myrtenaster. The creature to his left fell immediately after as she slashed in a circle and ducked another claw from further to the left.

The second her eyes lost sight of the rightmost portion of her semicircle what felt like a freight train slammed into her side - knocking her to the ground and filling her nostrils with the stench of Grimm. A glyph tore the creature off of her before it could attack, but another heavy body pinned her ankle before a searing pain cut across her right elbow.

The unexpected burning spurred a burst of icicles shooting from her in every direction like shrapnel, clearing out the area in her vicinity and allowing her to regain her footing just as another Beowolf lunged through the air towards her. Cutting it down before it had retouched the ground, she retreated to the edge of the pond and fell back to the basics to clear the wave of enemies.

Always moving, always fighting.

Breathing. Heart beating.

Tearing Myrtenaster to one side, she caught a glimpse of the trail of red running freely down her right arm. The wound was burning, but hardly enough to draw her attention away from the battle that was consuming all of her energy.

It was a scratch. Just a scratch.

Planting Myrtenaster into a Beowolf's chest, she then kicked off of a glyph with both feet to catapult herself over the heads of the pair that had collapsed behind her. It was when she'd landed several paces away that she heard it - the skittering sound of too many feet interspersed with the loud clacking of powerful claws closing around nothing but air. The sound forced her heart into her throat as the Death Stalker burst into the clearing an instant later.

Groaning, snapping, cracking trees willingly allowed the creature through as it falsely navigated through the foliage in order to join the fray. Once in the clearing, it charged directly towards her - forcing Beowolves to jump out of its armored way or risk being bowled over themselves.

Mere sight of the Death Stalker turned her blood to a roiling boil in an instant. As another Beowolf fell, she watched the incoming tank out of the corner of her eye. Death Stalkers were surprisingly fast for having to operate so many legs in unison...or maybe it was their outsized appearance which made any amount of speed seem terrifying.

Not that she was scared of it in the slightest. Instead, she was filled with a visceral need to destroy the creature. To snuff out its very existence in a flash of ferocity.

As it drew nearer, she once again decided to go against the training that was telling her she needed to conserve as much energy as possible. Efficiency of attacks - defend, defend, defend - use as little movement as possible. That wasn't going to happen today. Not with the Death Stalker headed her way.

Focusing her mind, she began drawing her semblance together - the feeling akin to some larger force tugging on all of her body at once. It had taken years of practice to perfect the ability and even longer to figure out how to keep fighting _while_ concentrating so closely, but today it came more naturally to her than ever before. Although it still rapidly drained her strength...

Beheading a Beowolf with Myrtenaster before slicing the arm off another, she could see the tip of a giant sword materializing above her head while a portion of her mind fixated upon the image. Connected to the sword came an arm, shoulders, helmet - down to the torso, legs, and chained boots. A small gasp of effort slipped past her lips as the soldier solidified into a fighting force and stepped over her head.

With one swing, the giant sword cleared all the Grimm from her immediate vicinity, cutting the creatures cleanly through the middle as easily as sliding a hot knife through butter. Another swing emptied the space to her right and sent the remaining Beowolves skittering towards the edge of the clearing in both confusion and caution.

Breathing room granted, only then did she turn her full attention to the Death Stalker. The foolish creature hadn't ceased its rapid approach even in the face of this new enemy. She directed the soldier out in front of her to greet the Grimm - his large boots taking enormous, running strides away from her. The Death Stalker attacked first, shooting its tail forward like a shot out of a cannon. The sword raised and deflected the tail just in time, allowing it to sail past the soldier's head harmlessly. When a pincher followed it was knocked downwards as the soldier brought the sword back towards his side.

The stinger darted forward again, only to be separated from the creature in a black haze that disappeared into the sky. In that moment of weakness, her warrior brought his sword quickly above his head before slamming it down through the Death Stalker's back - ignoring the thick, protective plating entirely. The creature struggled for several seconds in vain, pinned to the ground and unable to free itself. Before it could fade to ash, her conjuring pulled out his sword and grabbed the remainder of the beast's stinger in his free hand. In one fluid motion, he swung in a circle before letting go, casting the Grimm out over the treetops...where it burst into a cloud of black dust in front of the rising moon.

The clearing fell oddly silent - the Beowolves being far more wary than the Death Stalker and skirting away from this new foe. Unperturbed, the soldier put his sword on his back and dusted his hands off as he walked calmly back to her. It was purely showmanship on her part - he had no feelings of vindication of his own, but she relayed her own through his actions.

 _Ronnie._

The giant stumbled and disappeared when the name flashed through her mind, causing her to suck in a strangled gasp of breath. Clutching her chest as pain hooked into her heart, she hastily scanned the treeline. There were red eyes peeking out behind every tree - each creature waiting for the opportune time to resume their assault. They wouldn't wait much longer.

Using her conjuring had drained much of the stamina she'd had remaining and left her panting heavily from exertion. A small cloud of air billowed out in front of her in the cold evening air. Myrtenaster felt like a sack of bricks in her hand. The howls of Grimm were echoing in the distance, growing closer and closer with each passing second. In a few moments, the forest would be bearing down on her.

She may have won the first battle, but she'd declared war on this tiny section of the world. By herself.

The Beowolves were emerging from the trees again, approaching her carefully - crawling on all fours. Trees were toppling in the distance as something big and powerful barrelled her way.

And she was exhausted.

There was a line somewhere...the line between life and death...and she'd missed it. The pounding of adrenaline and her heart had carried her right over it. All of the times she'd come out here by herself trying to push that boundary...and she'd finally done it. She'd pushed herself too far - too hard - all for the chance to feel alive again. All for the chance to feel...something.

Glancing down, she noticed droplets glistening on the ground by her foot. Closer inspection revealed that it was blood - her blood - dripping from the gash running from her right elbow down to her wrist. She hated the way blood looked when it got on her clothing...such a stark contrast to white that it made her heart race.

Watching another drop appear, and another, her breathing hitched in her lungs when the color spread across the ground and covered the bottoms of her boots in the thick liquid. It wasn't all from her. It was someone else's blood...on her hands, her skirt, her everything. Her palm slipped against Myrtenaster's hilt when she tried to clutch her weapon tightly - the red refusing her grip. Wiping her hand on her side did nothing to remove the stain. And why would it, when it was scarred across her heart.

Hearing a loud hissing, her eyes found the King Taijitu as it emerged from the forest directly in front of her. One of the heads bit the top off of a nearby tree, spitting malice in every direction while sliding swiftly towards her. The Beowolves decided that it was safe to continue with the addition of the monster snake - charging as a pack one last time.

Myrtenaster was shaking in her hand. The sweat pooling in her palms slid too easily across the grip. Her semblance, which normally burned like a candle in her chest, felt faint - nearly extinguished. Her mind, which refused to slow down regardless of how tired her body felt, knew that the exit was behind her - across the pond.

But she refused to run. That's all she'd been doing for the past year...and look where it had gotten her.

 _You can't just leave her! Ruby needs you now!_

Tears sprang into her eyes as her mind began to shift and crumble like grains of sand. The voice was so clear, so lifelike - it was growing impossible to hold herself together. Not anymore. Not after all this time. She was done fighting. It was time for her to atone for her mistakes - she would _not_ run again.

Facing the advancing Grimm, who were only her temporary enemies compared to what lived inside her mind, she fell to her knees and dropped Myrtenaster onto the ground beside her. The clang of metal hitting hard ground sent a tremor through her skin. It was the sound of defeat. Surrender.

 _Please think about what you're doing…_

"I can't," she whispered, closing her eyes to block out the charging Grimm.

 _She's your partner._

"She's better off without me…"

 _No one asked you to leave._

"They didn't want me to stay."

It was cruel humor that it was in this moment that she found herself wishing for what she'd been running from this whole time. One more glance, one more hug. The opportunity to say goodbye. If she could go back in time...there were many things she would do differently, but one of them would be to say goodbye. Even if it didn't matter.

That's when, above the growls, she heard the voice she really didn't want to hear.

 _Weiss, what are you doing?_

It was upbeat and chipper, but she'd never heard the question any other way. So filled with innocence and blissful happiness...it tore at her heart in her last seconds of life.

"I'm tired of living like this...I'm tired of living without you..."

The Beowolves were close enough that she could smell them - the scent of a dirty dog that had spent its life living in garbage. But she didn't get up. She waited for the voice to come back to her, just one more time. She wanted to apologize - to beg for forgiveness.

'Please come back,' she silently begged. 'Please don't leave me alone at the end.'

"Weiss!"

"Weiss! What are you doing?"

Her eyes flew open when someone grabbed her shoulder and shook roughly. Looking around in confusion, a minigun started firing right beside her - the sound loud enough to temporarily deafen her left ear. Velvet was pressing Myrtenaster into her hand and dragging her to her feet, fingers digging roughly into her shoulder in urgency.

"Get up!" Velvet yelled over the sound of the gun. "We have to get out of here!"

Dazed by the turn of events, Weiss grasped Myrtenaster and nodded her head numbly. Coco was laying down fire all around them - mowing down the Beowolves like blades of grass while the King Taijitu still slithered forward. Its dual heads hissed in unison at the incoming bullets, weaving in an attempt to dodge the attacks. Velvet's eyes were jumping from point to point, searching for a way through the Grimm and away from this place.

"The pond -" Weiss managed to say before stumbling a few steps back through the mud and plunging the tip of her saber into the water. Searching for the thread of her semblance, a patch of ice began to appear at her feet - growing quickly and spreading until there was a thin ice bridge crossing the surface of the pond.

Velvet didn't need instruction to race across the ice, grabbing Weiss' elbow to drag her along while Coco brought up the rear. Her muscles were screaming from overuse and exhaustion was beginning to spread like an infection in her mind, but Weiss continued on anyway - allowing Velvet to pull her away from the reality she'd just begun to accept.

The forest on the other side of the pond was relatively clear, but more Beowolves were racing around the outer edge in an attempt to cut off their retreat. The ones that tried to follow across the ice bridge were plunged into the water when Coco slammed one heel down and crushed it into splinters before catapulting to join Weiss and Velvet on solid ground.

Grouped together, the three of them tore into the trees at a full sprint with an army of Grimm on their tails. While they raced blindly away from the scene of the battle, Velvet never let go of Weiss' elbow - providing support whenever Weiss stumbled across a tree root or was snagged by a low branch in their path. Every part of her physical being burned. Every part of her hurt, but Velvet's fingers were strong and unrelenting in their firm grasp.

For the longest time, she had no idea where they were headed - they just ran and ran while hoping that the Grimm would surrender their noisy pursuit. It wasn't until the trees thinned and the ground tilted to an incline that she found her bearings in the form of a wall of rock to their left.

"That ridge -" she huffed to Velvet between giant gasps for breath. Unable to say more, she simply pointed up at the plateau she'd descended earlier that day. Her companions didn't need further explanation before altering their path to meet the towering cliffside as quickly as possible. It wasn't far, if they could make it.

Twigs were scratching at her face and pulling at her arms as they pushed recklessly through. The uphill race was pushing her to her very limit, depriving her of oxygen while she tried to coax more strength from her depleted muscles. When the forest finally began to thin at the base of the cliff wall, she lined the ridge with glyphs to be used for a rapid ascent and flinched when the ground shook as a resounding boom filled the air.

The Grimm were close - destroying the forest piece-by-piece in their pursuit.

Velvet finally released Weiss' arm and bounded up the wall effortlessly - using tiny outcroppings of rock like stepping stones to propel herself upward. That left Weiss and Coco to use the remaining glyphs and the very last of Weiss' semblance.

Flying up the side of the ridge with Coco right behind her, Weiss glanced down only after she reached the top. The forest floor below them was alive - teeming with blackened beasts racing through the trees. Most of the Grimm had momentarily paused their pursuit, but several were already attempting the steep climb to reach them. Instinctively, her eyes scanned the horizon for Nevermores that might be able to reach them. There were several, but they were so far in the distance they wouldn't be a threat anytime soon.

One strong hand on her shoulder turned her away from the ledge and pushed her onward. There was more running to do.

Velvet was waiting for them - and once they caught up they resumed their retreat through the woods, albeit this time with the sound of Grimm slowly breaking up and fading into the distance. The ascent up the ridge might have been enough to convince most of the Grimm to search for easier meals tonight...meaning that now they could move at a fast jog instead of an all-out sprint.

Regardless, Weiss' breathing was labored as her lungs struggled to recover enough oxygen to fully operate. Coco and Velvet were also breathing quickly, though they didn't seem to be in as bad of condition as Weiss was currently in.

"I have a transport," she managed to get out between breaths. "Waiting -"

Neither of them spoke while following her up the path she'd taken into the forest earlier that night. Velvet remained by Weiss' side like glue, while Coco brought up the rear of their small hunting party.

It was only a few moments later, when they could no longer hear the sound of beasts howling through the woods, that Coco slowed to a stop and called out, "Hold up."

Immediately coming to a stop with heavy feet, Weiss sucked in air while Coco lowered her glasses and scanned the skies and forest around them. Satisfied with what she found, or the lack thereof, a curt nod said that it would be acceptable to walk from here.

Putting one hand softly on Weiss' shoulder, Velvet sighed as they fall back in line towards the ship.

"I'm so glad we found you in time," she said, her tone filled with relief. "When we heard the Grimm moving away from us, we figured someone was in trouble."

Turning towards Velvet, Weiss found concerned, warm eyes directed her way. She tried to smile in return, but she doubted it came out convincingly.

"Thank you...for coming to help."

That had been the end for her, she'd been sure of it. Instead, she was panting for air while returning to her transport with two well-heeled guardians at her side. There would be another day, another battle, another struggle.

And more regrets.

In relative silence, they picked their way carefully through the trees. Navigating the growing darkness was becoming increasingly difficult with her mediocre vision, but, thankfully, they were close.

"What were you doing - kneeling on the ground like that?"

Coco's question broke the quiet and announced that Weiss' actions hadn't gone unobserved by her old schoolmates.

"I was...baiting them."

"Really? Because it looked like you were -"

Coco's words abruptly ended when Velvet threw one pointed look towards her leader.

"What are you doing out here?" Velvet asked instead, her soft accent dispelling any hint of suspicion in the question.

"On assignment."

"All the way out here?" Velvet's voice was incredulous at Weiss' lie and she shared a glance with Coco before turning back to Weiss. "I didn't know they had solo hunts this deep in Grimm territory."

Keeping her eyes forward and focusing on regaining her breath, Weiss avoided saying anything in response.

Maybe she wasn't on an official hunt. Maybe she hadn't taken a mission in over a year now. So what was she doing out here? When she lied to herself, she said that she came out here to 'clear her mind,' but in actuality it was to feel alive. And the only time she felt alive these days was when she was out here flirting with death. She liked to see how far she could push that boundary...and maybe a small part of her wished that it would push back.

But she didn't feel the need to explain herself to the two who had just saved her life. Not right now.

"There it is," she said instead, pointing through a line of trees to the small transport ship waiting to take them back to the edge of Atlas. The pilot had been instructed to wait for her return and, if she wasn't back by midnight, to return on his own. The ship was well-hidden and he'd stayed inside the entire time, prepared to lift off immediately in case of an attack. It was a risky proposition, but that's why Weiss was paying him extraordinarily well. Fortunately, it looked like everything had remained quiet in this part of the woods.

"Do you want a ride back to the city?" she offered as they grew close. Velvet and Coco looked at each other for a second before nodding in unison.

"I could use a good night's sleep," Coco answered with an easygoing grin. "And a shower."

As soon as the pilot saw them, the hatch lowered so they could walk aboard and liftoff. Their shoes clanged against the metal steps into the small ship as the engines quickly spurred to life. No sooner had Coco made it into the cabin did the door close and the ship's engines grow even louder as liftoff became imminent.

Dropping Myrtenaster onto an empty seat, Weiss quickly found the first aid kit and began pulling out supplies.

"I can help you," Velvet offered as the ship took to the air so quickly it made Weiss' stomach drop. After their altitude had stabilized, Velvet stepped closer and gestured towards Weiss' still bleeding arm.

"I can do it." Weiss pulled the supplies out of Velvet's reach like a greedy child before taking a deep breath and adding, in a much calmer voice, "Thank you, but I can do it myself."

It was abundantly clear that Velvet still wanted to help, but she reluctantly nodded and went to sit beside to Coco on the opposite side of the small ship. Ignoring their gazes, Weiss sprayed the healing gel down her arm before gritting her teeth and scrunching her eyes closed in pain. The stuff stung like Grimm, but it would clean the wound, slow the bleeding, and stimulate her aura to do the rest. It wasn't that bad - if you enjoyed injecting yourself with snake venom and then taking an Ursa punch to the gut.

Taking slow, deep breaths through her nose, she kept her arm as motionless as possible until the pain began to fade away. Once it had reached a steady, dull roar, she was able to continue the process of piecing herself back together. Picking up a roll of bandages in one hand, she wrapped it slowly and tightly around her arm, grimacing when the first layer touched the open cut. After the wound was fully wrapped in a good layer of protection, she tore the end between her teeth and stuck it into place so it wouldn't unravel.

Over time she'd gotten pretty good at taking care of her injuries by herself. Although she wasn't necessarily sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"What are you doing in Atlas?" Velvet asked curiously while Weiss stowed the first aid supplies underneath her seat.

"Working for my family's company."

"Couldn't you do that anywhere?"

"I suppose, but our headquarters are in Atlas."

The lie was easy because it was rational. Her family owned the largest Dust company in Remnant. She was one of the next in line to take over management and, as such, needed as much experience as possible in preparation. What better way to gain that experience than at the headquarters in Atlas, where the majority of her family also happened to live?

No one needed to know that experience wasn't really necessary for the position she was set take over. Or that the company practically ran itself these days, especially with the addition of the artificial intelligence that had recently been completed.

"Why don't you go home, Weiss?"

The question was unexpected and, for the briefest of moments, filled her with confusion. They were currently headed back to Atlas, but Velvet's kind eyes implied that she wasn't talking about the large mansion Weiss had been staying in for the past year.

'Why don't you go home?'

It sounded so easy when Velvet asked it like that. But go home to what? Weiss had left that life in ruins. Or maybe it was more appropriate to say that she'd ruined that life. She stayed in Atlas because...because there was a part of her that truly believed this was what she deserved. Second chances were for the fortunate, and that certainly wasn't her.

"I can't."

A disbelieving huff left Coco's lips.

"Never took you for a quitter."

"I'm not a quitter," Weiss shot back, indignation bursting through her chest at the perceived slight. But Coco merely shrugged, not affected in the least by Weiss' attitude.

"Not what it looked like to me."

Narrowing her eyes, an assortment of retorts stepped onto Weiss' tongue but failed to make it into existence. Coco never said anything as an attempt to insult - she said what she observed. It was pointless to argue or retaliate against someone who was merely speaking what they saw as truth. They would only take the reaction to be confirmation of what they'd already observed.

Lack of argument didn't mean Weiss was willing to agree that Coco's words were true. She wasn't a quitter. But...she was tired and worn down.

Deep down Weiss had always envied Coco, although she was too proud to ever admit that aloud. Coco had been raised in a wealthy family, similar to Weiss'. Maybe not _quite_ as wealthy, but Coco surely never wanted for anything. And yet, while Weiss was seen as the spoiled 'princess,' Coco was respected, well-liked, and popular.

If only Weiss could borrow some of Coco's natural poise and confidence. Maybe then she could fix some of her mistakes...

"Vale isn't for me anymore," she mumbled, hoping that the sound of the engines would drown out her words. Of course, Velvet's ears were far more powerful than ordinary hearing for that to happen.

"How could Vale be _worse_ than this?" Velvet asked while gesturing out the window at the expanse of forest that stretched for endless miles in every direction. The land had been untouched by humans for generations, left to the Grimm and the spirits that haunted there.

They didn't understand. How could they? Vale could be much, _much_ worse than this. Sure, Weiss might not be in a life threatening situation back there (although she wouldn't bet on that anymore), but the psychological torture…it was just better to stay where she was.

"It just is," she replied before grabbing her scroll out of the bag she'd stashed earlier in order to avoid anymore questions. Unlocking the device, she found several missed calls and two messages left by her sister.

" _I tried to catch you at the office, but you were already gone for the day. Let's have dinner tonight? I'll bring your favorite."_

Then another after that:

" _I just stopped by your place and was told you never returned home tonight. You went into the forest again, didn't you? For Grimm's sake, Weiss. If I don't hear back from you soon I'm bringing an army out to find you."_

Glancing at the time, Weiss immediately typed out a message in hopes of avoiding the threatened outcome.

 _I'm fine. Be back in a bit._

Not a half second passed before she received a response, letting her know that Winter must have been waiting by the scroll.

 _You need to take better care of yourself._

Even through text the words carried a heavy weight of scolding in them - enough that Weiss knew exactly what expression her sister was wearing at that moment, glaring at the screen while clutching the scroll too tightly.

Winter had been chiding Weiss quite often recently, but none of it seemed to be doing any good. Her actions had only grown more and more imprudent...a trend that hadn't gone unnoticed, given Winter's growing agitation. But no matter how much Weiss wanted to listen to well intentioned advice, she couldn't seem to rein herself in. She couldn't bring herself back together. She was like a piece of shattered glass and the only glue that made her feel even _partially_ whole was being out here in the middle of nowhere - just her, the trees, and the Grimm.

It wasn't something she'd been able to explain to Winter. Instead of attempting that feat via scrolls, she typed a quick response that she hoped would be somewhat reassuring.

 _I'm trying._

As soon as the message sent, she set her scroll down on the seat beside her so she wouldn't hear a reply even if she got one. Leaning her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes and sighed. How long could she do this before she slipped up? She'd been lucky today. If Coco and Velvet hadn't been out there…

"She's better now, you know."

Her eyes snapped open at the comment, finding Velvet watching carefully from across the cabin. It was a calculated expression, one that was analyzing every piece of information Weiss gave in return.

Her first response was consternation, replaced quickly by realization.

"Blake."

Even after all this time, her teammate's name burned the tip of her tongue. And when Velvet nodded, something akin to anger and resentment stirred in Weiss' chest.

Blake was sending Velvet updates? It made rational sense since the two were friends, but Weiss didn't appreciate that _Velvet_ knew more than she did. That _Velvet_ was kept in the loop while Weiss remained in isolation. Self-imposed or not, didn't she deserve to know? And if she refused the information, why should anyone else have it?

"Actually," Velvet continued, scrambling around in her pockets before pulling out her own scroll. "She sent this to me a few weeks ago."

After tapping several buttons, Velvet turned the screen and Weiss instantly closed her eyes and turned away - biting her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

It was a picture - she'd caught just a glimpse before looking away. There was no way she could look at that picture and hold herself together right now. In it was everything she'd avoided so diligently for months. If she looked...

"That's...great to hear..." she replied quietly, the sentence broken by the inescapable feeling of sobs growing in her chest. Only when Velvet retracted the scroll did Weiss dare glance back, greeted by sad eyes. Rather than receive the sympathy, she closed her eyes again - preventing her tears from slipping out.

 _What are you doing?_

The question played over and over again in her mind, flashing behind her eyes while she struggled to find an answer. It used to be so easy to answer that question. In a matter of seconds she'd been able to fire off a handful of fallacies that made perfect sense of her actions. But with time, and with the experience of tonight, those reasons had faded away. Time had eroded her certainty and hopelessness had frayed her resolve. She'd been left with nothing but guilt, regret, remorse...

 _What are you doing?_

Running. Hiding. Because it had been her fault. Because she'd made a mistake. Several, actually. Because when everything had been taken from her, she'd felt there was no reason to stay.

 _Weiss_.

For the remainder of the ride she listened to the voice say her name and question her decisions over and over again. It was a salve and sandpaper on her wounds...and by the time the transport was preparing to land she was feeling appropriately worn down by the day.

When the ship had settled down on the landing pad built in the back of the large house she would never call home, they all stood and stretched their legs before hopping down to solid ground below. Clutching her injured arm to her chest, Weiss made sure to descend from the ship carefully - trying not to jar it too much while it was still healing.

Now that the adrenaline of battle had left her system, she was beginning to realize how long it had been since she'd spent time with anyone from her days at Beacon. Shuffling her feet and giving Myrtenaster a small shake, she hoped it didn't feel as uncomfortable to her companions as it did to her.

"I can have a car take you wherever you need to go," she offered as they stood outside the airship.

"You really don't have to -"

Waving off the nicety, she said, "It's the least I can do," while beckoning one of the drivers who'd appeared upon seeing the transport. There was always at least one driver on the grounds at any given moment ready to whisk her off to some important meeting or another. Most of the time the subtle company was welcome - far better than being completely alone.

"Guess we could use the lift," Coco replied as the driver raced to the garages beside the airship landing. When a sleek black car pulled to a stop in front of them a few moments later, she turned to Weiss with a small smile.

"You're still one hell of a fighter," Coco said, giving Weiss a gentle knock on the shoulder before heading towards the passenger door and disappearing inside the vehicle. It was as much of a compliment as Weiss had ever heard Coco utter.

Moving to follow her leader, Velvet paused and turned back to Weiss with one of those shy smiles she was famous for. One tall ear bent forward and the next second Velvet pulled Weiss into a warm hug, being careful to avoid jostling her injured arm. Unaccustomed to any type of physical contact, she stiffened while Velvet leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"It's not our mistakes that define us, Weiss..."

When Velvet pulled away with a small smile, she tapped her scroll on top of Weiss' - which emitted a soft beep alerting her to an incoming message.

"Our reactions to them do," Velvet finished before hurrying over to the car and ducking inside to join Coco.

Completely stunned, Weiss could feel her legs shaking while watching the vehicle pull out of the drive and smoothly disappear down the quiet, dark street. Her hand gripped her scroll tightly, but she forced her gaze away from the device as tears of anger burned the edges of her eyes.

How dare she...how dare Velvet throw that quote at Weiss like that? And to leave her with a photo that she didn't want to see - that she _couldn't_ see without tearing apart whatever semblance of a life she'd been able to craft for herself. What gave _Velvet_ the _right_ to talk to Weiss about something only _she_ had had the misfortune to experience?

The only way Weiss was ever making it back to Vale was if she somehow found the courage to do so. But courage wasn't in her - it was in the person whose photo was resting in the palm of her hand. It was in the soul of someone who gave selflessly without regard for their own wellbeing. It was in the person who sacrificed everything for someone unworthy.

Scrunching her eyes shut and letting out a loud exhale, Weiss stuffed her scroll into the bottom of her bag and walked towards the front entrance. Immediately upon entering the house, there was an installed weapons locker where she stored Myrtenaster away for the evening. From there, she continued upstairs to her room and carefully peeled away her destroyed clothing before tossing it unceremoniously on the floor. The house cleaners would throw the garments away, as usual.

Once in a pair of fresh clothes, she sat on her bed and gingerly scooted back with one hand until she was leaning against the headboard. Holding her injured arm carefully across her chest, she closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but it hitched in the middle with the beginnings of a sob.

Why was she doing this? It was so hard to remember now. It had been so long, yet the pain had never faded away like she'd expected. Instead it had crept into every aspect of her life and taken over. It had become a disease that had infected every cell in her being.

Tonight, she'd glimpsed what end Atlas had in store for her. It would be solitary, and it would be soon. Knowing this, the only question was...what was she supposed to do now? She wasn't strong enough to go back, but she wasn't strong enough to remain here either.

Could she really accept this ending without saying goodbye?

Slowly opening her eyes, her gaze drifted to the bag lying on the floor by the bedroom door.

She might as well, right?

Standing, she walked over and fished her scroll from the bag with her left hand and turned it on before she could second guess herself. Velvet's picture took up the entire screen, the photo bringing with it a wave of agony that was unlike any physical injury Weiss had ever received. The image blurred as tears instantly flooded her eyes and she covered her mouth with her free hand, ignoring the twinge of pain that accompanied the motion.

Ruby…

All this time Weiss had managed to prevent any new information of Ruby from coming into her possession. It had taken quite a bit of self-restraint to do that much, but now here she was, grasping onto a singular photograph like it was the only thing tying her to this life.

But...it was, wasn't it? Ruby had always been Weiss' lifeline. Their severed connection had led Weiss to this place, where she willingly risked her life for no reason other than to feel _something_ in the absence of everything.

Standing in the doorway, she tried to collect herself - wiping away tears while her mind raced in a million directions at once. All the while her eyes remained glued to her scroll while she soaked up every miniscule detail to be found. The smile was still there - the liveliness was still there - the vitality was still there. All of the things that had since left Weiss were still there - visibly living on through Ruby.

Why was she doing this?

Right now, she couldn't say why. All she knew was that every corner of her mind was screaming at her to get back to Ruby as quickly as possible. Because she was there - she was happy, she was alive.

And Weiss needed to see her.

Before she had a chance to think through her decision, she was racing downstairs and flying out the front door to wave down the second driver on the property. The instant he'd pulled the car around she jumped into the vehicle and slammed the door shut. Her hands were shaking and her teeth were chattering together as a tidal wave of anxiety washed over her, but if she was going to do this, she was going to do this right now. If she gave herself time to think it through she was positive that she would convince herself out of it.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this photograph was the short boost of bravery that Weiss had needed to help her accomplish her last mission.

Distance was supposed to make the pain go away, but no matter how she'd been injured, or how close she'd come to never coming back, she'd failed to earn a single shred of forgiveness for what she'd done. The guilt in her heart had never loosened and the harsh reality had never eased away. If there was nothing for her here, then there was nothing left for her at all. And with nothing left, maybe it was time to make one last, drastic decision - because the next punishment could very well be her last.

Could Vale be worse than this?

Yes, it could be. But when she'd already found the bottom there wasn't any further left to dig.

"Take me to the airship station," she ordered the driver before focusing her gaze back on the scroll clasped in her hands.

At least now she could say goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. Thanks for all the support so far! I hope you don't get tired of receiving emails about new chapters, because I'm planning on putting up a lot of content from here on out!**

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It was lunchtime, but she was eating cereal. _Maybe_ because she'd just woken up but _mostly_ because she wanted to. Just like she wanted to stay in her pajamas and not brush her hair. Running her fingers through it a few times worked well enough anyway! Plus, it wasn't like she had anyone she needed to impress while sitting at home alone.

So she was eating cereal for lunch in her pajamas with messy hair. And it was awesome.

Today, she'd accomplished nothing! Ok, _nothing_ wasn't quite the right word. She'd woken up super early and done like five hours of grueling training, but then she'd showered, gotten back in her PJs, and fallen asleep. Talk about a lazy day!

Training had gone super well though, which was why she'd given herself permission to act like a sloth for the rest of the day. The house was empty anyway and it wasn't like she had much in terms of responsibilities, so...what could she really do when she was left alone?

Well, there was training and studying and fiddling with stuff in the garage...actually, there was a whole lot of stuff she could do. Being alone didn't mean she didn't have things to do, it just meant the house was weirdly quiet.

"'Nother bowl, Rrrruby Rose?" she drawled in what she imagined the pirate with the eyepatch on the cereal box must sound like, tilting the box towards her as if he were actually speaking.

"Don't mind if I do," she replied in her normal voice while pouring another helping of sugar coated pebbles into her bowl. Setting the box back in front of her, she gave Mr. Pirate a small salute with her spoon. "You know, for a pirate you're awfully generous."

Staring back with that weird, toothy grin and super fashionable eyepatch, he didn't say a word in response. Of course he didn't say anything - he was a cereal box mascot. But after all the mornings they'd spent together she would've thought he'd have warmed up to her by now!

Shoving a heaping spoonful of cereal into her mouth, she planned out what remained of her day while chewing happily. Yang and Blake should be back sometime in the afternoon, meaning Ruby would have to change into 'normal' clothes eventually. Bummer. And then she should probably look like she'd been doing something kind of productive instead of slothing around the house.

But first she'd finish her breakfast-lunch. Lunchfast? Breakunch? There had to be a word for it…

Absentmindedly chewing, her left hand picked up the small, red, palm-sized bag of sand she carried pretty much everywhere with her. It felt like a balloon on the outside, but was squishy and malleable when squeezed between her fingers. When she squished it as hard as she could, it would bulge and bulge and _look_ like it _just might_ explode, but it never did. Believe her, she'd tried.

It was a gift of sorts from Yang, who'd gotten it several months ago because she thought that maybe it would help Ruby regain some strength in her hand - any little bit could help, right? She'd estimate she was at abouttttt...70% right now. Which wasn't that bad! It was a ton better than not being able to pick up _anything_ with that hand.

The obvious conclusion was that the little toy was helping and was _so_ much better than all that friggin physical therapy the doctors had had her doing for months and months and months. That stuff was the total dumps. Repetitive, difficult, boring, bleh.

Yeah, Mr. Red was _way_ better. Plus, she'd used a black marker to draw a happy face on him, so he always had a smile for her!

Pretty soon, her fingers were squishing the sandbag in sync with her chewing.

Squish, squish, squish. Chew, chew, chew.

There was nothing more relaxing than eating a bowl of cereal for lunch in pajamas with messy hair while hanging out with Mr. Red! Actually, if she _really_ thought about it, drawing was also pretty relaxing. Or taking a nap - that was the ultimate in relaxation. Or! Burning around a track a hundred times in under three minutes - now _that_ was relaxing. Of course, the wear marks she'd accidentally scorched into the track's surface meant she wasn't allowed to do that anymore...at least not until she had enough money to repair it every time she wanted to go for a jog. Considering she didn't have a job or money, that could be a long ways off.

Reaching the bottom of the bowl, she frowned when she realized that there was still a lot of milk left. The normal solution was to add more cereal, but she'd just eaten two bowls and she was _stuffed_. What a dilemma...and this seemed to happen to her all the time! Finding the proper milk to cereal ratio always seemed to elude her for whatever reason. Whenever Yang commented on it, Ruby would say that it must be another one of those things she'd forgotten.

Yang didn't like that very much...but maybe it was true! Ruby just had no way of knowing.

But since her older sister was nowhere to be seen, no one would scold her for wasting milk this time. And seeing as how she was the only one home right now, she could _also_ try out a little something she'd been trying to perfect recently.

Standing from the table, she picked up the bowl still partially filled with milk and held it in one hand. The kitchen sink was on the other side of the room from where she was currently standing, separated from her by the dining table, a lot of chairs (only like four but that's a lot to some people), and a lot of space (again, not much, but to some people…). Staring at the sink intently, she eyeballed the distance while gently swinging the bowl up and down like a bowler preparing to release a bowling ball for a perfect strike.

Maybe it would work better if she threw it like a frisbee? Or should she stick to tossing it underhand?

"Underhand, definitely underhand," she muttered to herself while taking a few more practice swings. Find the perfect trajectory and the perfect speed. And the perfect angle.

On the last upward swing she released the bowl, tossing it in a high arc that would land directly in the kitchen sink. Theoretically. Of course, the bowl would shatter in the sink if someone wasn't there to catch it. Believe her - she'd...seen someone else do it several times already...

The instant the bowl left the palm of her hand, she activated a section of her semblance to shoot her across the room. Moving fast in short distances was still something of a difficulty for her, but it was such a thrill to be moving faster than the rest of the world (well, most of the world). She got to watch things move in slow motion - kinda like a movie on slow forward. That's what Yang called it, at least.

And, in slow forward, she watched as the bowl reached the pinnacle of its arc. When it began its descent, the milk began to separate from the container - defying gravity as it floated in large, white globules in the air. She was pulling past it by that point though, racing a bowl and milk globules to the kitchen sink.

This time she _totally_ had the catch in the bag. There'd be no tripping over the chairs or getting her sleeve caught on an open cupboard to foil her plan.

Theoretically.

Releasing her semblance, the bowl began to speed up while she slowed down to normal human speed. The last time she'd run into the counter at full speed and almost knocked herself out...so she didn't want to do that again. Stretching out her hands while simultaneously planting her feet to stop any forward progress, a heavy whoosh of air rushed past her just as the bowl hit her fingertips above the sink. Immediately pulling it towards her, the floating milk hit the sink an instant later with a splash that sprayed droplets of white all over the basin.

But she'd done it! The bowl was safe, the milk was in the sink, and, most importantly, she hadn't broken anything this time! And she hadn't knocked herself out! Maybe that last one was the most important, but the _bowl_.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, raising her trophy over her head like the champion she was. " _Ruby_ _Rose_ , one. Cereal bowl...a number slightly higher than one."

Bobbing her head in satisfaction, she rinsed out her bowl and the sink before drying off her hands.

That little trick was just about ready to show Yang, who would surely approve of the masterpiece. Although...maybe Ruby could try it with something flaming? Could milk catch fire? Because that'd be a whole lot cooler and more impressive…stuff on fire was always more impressive. Don't ever tell Yang that though. Then the house would burn down for sure.

Strolling out of the kitchen, Ruby's next stop was a few feet down the hallway at her bedroom for a change of clothes. After pulling on the first things that were as close to pajamas as possible, she headed to the small, single car garage attached to the house which also served as her pseudo workshop.

She liked to think of it as her mad scientist's lab, but instead of beakers and chemicals there were piles of metal and ammunition. Once, Blake had made a joke that if there was ever a fire in the garage the entire house would explode. They'd all laughed at the time, but...there were lots of fire extinguishers in the garage for a reason...

"Okie dokie...what can I tear apart today?" she asked herself, clapping her hands together and putting on her mad scientist's hat. It was invisible and fireproof. Although a fireproof hat wouldn't really do much good in any type of emergency...

The workbench was a bit of a mess right now. 'Mess' was probably the nice way to describe it, since it was completely covered in various odds and ends and bits of trash. That wasn't a problem though! She could navigate the mess like the cereal pirate could navigate the grocery store.

Waving her hands over the workbench like she was working some type of magic, she was sure that something would jump out at her. Hopefully not literally though. Last time that had happened she'd screamed so loud the neighbors had come over to see if everything was alright.

Giving up on her pointless hand waving and pushing several scraps of metal to one side, something immediately caught her eye. Not caught her eye like _actually_ caught her eye. More like...uh, well it caught her eye in a non-painful way.

The eye catching piece of mess was actually a small dagger Yang had brought home the other day. The blade was a cool color - black with a red tint along the edge - and the grip was really well made, but other than that there was nothing special about the weapon...yet.

"Let's see what teeny, tiny, evil toys I can add to you," she said as she picked up the blade and held it carefully in her hands. "Mwuahahaha! Eh...still have to work on the laugh..."

Sitting down on her stool, she pulled out various tools and began the process of dissecting, analyzing, and planning. The first part she really enjoyed. Taking weapons apart gave her the chance to see how they worked and discover creative new ways to hide perks in small places.

But she also liked planning additions to old weapons - the more clever, the better! Sometimes all that separated a 'meh' dagger from a blade of unholy reckoning were just a few well thought out upgrades. Like a hidden pistol. Or a grappling hook. Or a small set of explosives!

Finding the nearly hidden seams in the hilt, she worked at pulling it apart without damaging the housing.

It hadn't been too long ago that she never would've had the energy to come out here after the training she'd done this morning. Before, it had been training, or studying, or fiddling around, but never a combination of those three. _One_ of those things used to max her out, but now she had the energy for all three and then some. What was 'and then some' supposed to be though? That was the question…

Succeeding in pulling the base of the weapon apart, she pulled out a magnifying glass to study the inside of the weapon carefully. It was pretty important to figure out what was going on inside a weapon _before_ touching it. This was a very important lesson she'd learned a long, long time ago. Like when she was still a little kid. Don't touch the inner workings of _anything_ without figuring out where somewhat important and slightly _shocking_ items like power sources might be.

Seriously. Don't do it.

Poking around (carefully), she pulled a notebook and random pen over to jot down notes and ideas as they sprang into her mind. What could she do in such a limited space? This was actually more of a challenge than she'd initially expected. Crescent Rose was _huge_ compared to this tiny dagger!

Small meant difficult. Although big _also_ meant difficult in a lot of situations...like, which would she rather face - a _small_ Beowolf or a _big_ Beowolf?

The answer to that was _any_ Beowolf, but first she needed Yang's approval. That was another story though.

Rapidly scratching notes and drawing small diagrams onto the page beside the dagger, she was now so absorbed in the process of redesigning a weapon that a meteor could land next door and she might not notice. This was something she was actually kinda good at though! And working on weapons gave her a feeling of purpose almost as strong as when she was training. It added meaning to her day, like she was actually accomplishing something other than running through a bazillion repetitions with Crescent Rose.

In the midst of welding together what she _hoped_ would be a viable Dust port for a weapon this size, she heard the front door open and close, followed by voices that could only be Yang and Blake. Well... _hopefully_ Yang and Blake and not intruders. Although Ruby was currently standing in a garage filled with weapons and explosives...

"Ruby?"

"In here!" she called into the house through the open garage door. Normally, she would've gone to greet the two, but she was justtttt finishing up fusing two tiny pieces of metal together…

A few seconds later Yang poked her head through the doorway before immediately shielding her eyes from the blinding light of the torch.

"Gah! When did we move the sun into the garage?"

Giggling as she put the last weld in place, Ruby turned off the machine and set everything down on the table in favor of running to give her older sister a big hug. Yang was still wearing her fighting attire, which was smeared with a combination of dirt and the heavy scent of gunpowder, but Ruby didn't mind in the slightest.

"How'd it go?" she asked, a bubble of excitement and happiness growing in her chest at having her sister safe and home once again.

"Ah, you know - lots of Grimm, lots of smushing Grimm," Yang replied with a grin while reaching out to tousle Ruby's still-unbrushed hair. "How'd it go while we were gone? Get bored?"

"Nnnnope! I had tons of stuff to do!" Ruby answered, gesturing at the variety of pieces spread out on the workbench. "Made lots of progress on...stuff. And trained a whole bunch! And -"

"Ok ok." Yang raised one hand to stop Ruby's list before it really started. "You could miss me a little, ya know."

Ruby laughed, but she never wanted to let on that it _was_ a _little_ lonely without Blake and Yang around. The last thing she wanted to do was make her sister feel bad for leaving. It was their job, after all - how they paid the bills. And how they paid for all the tools and materials she used for weapon crafting. Or, as it had seemed these days, weapon fiddling.

"Whatcha makin' now?" Yang asked while hopping onto one of the stools by the workbench and picking up a hunk of metal, looking at it curiously before setting it down and picking up another one.

"That's what I call a...whachamadiddle," Ruby tried to say with a straight face before failing and laughing. "I have no idea what it does."

Yang chuckled along with her before picking up another random item.

"And this?"

"Whachamacallit."

"What about this one?" This time, Yang picked up a small black lump and lifted it to her nose to sniff.

"A very, _very_ fried egg."

When Yang threw the egg back on the table and wiped off her hands on her thighs, Ruby giggled happily.

"You're so gross sometimes."

"I thought they'd explode!" Ruby exclaimed in her defense, picking up the carton to show her sister the rest of the sadly unexploded eggs. "Turns out they just get all crispy and smelly..."

"Well, at least you had fun," Yang replied, shaking her head in amusement before hopping off the stool. "I'm gonna jump in the shower, but Blake should be making dinner - see if she needs help?"

" _Making_ dinner?"

Normally when Yang and Blake got back from a hunt, they'd order delivery. It was Ruby's turn to pick the restaurant too, so she'd been doubly excited for their dinner of pancakes, waffles, and french toast. But from the way Yang rolled her eyes, that wasn't in the cards tonight.

"Something about how we should have a healthy meal after three days of junk food."

Moving towards the door, she then remembered something and turned back to Ruby.

"Oh! Those adjustments you made to Ember Celica are _awesome_. I got my arm wrapped around this Ursa's head," Yang looped her arm in the air as demonstration before making a punching motion with her other hand. "And boom, boom, pshhhh!"

When Yang exploded one hand in the air with a huge grin, Ruby felt a matching one grow herself.

"Yeah? Should I make it stronger?"

Yang laughed while walking out of the garage. "Any stronger and it'll take my arm off too!"

Still grinning, Ruby followed her sister into the house before making her way to the kitchen. After spending so much of her time taking weapons apart and putting them back together, it was nice to know that she'd made an improvement. And something that was useful for Yang in battle! That small bit of encouragement was enough to make her want to spend all night in the garage, but she'd be a good sister/roommate and help with dinner first.

"Hey Blake!" she called out to the girl's back when she bounced into the kitchen. "Need some help?"

When Blake turned around, it was with a small smile, warm eyes, and relaxed ears.

"Sure, why don't you start cutting up that broccoli."

Finding the broccoli already sitting on the cutting board on the counter, Ruby wrinkled her nose.

"Broccoli?"

Not that she didn't like broccoli. Yang, on the other hand…

"Three days. Three days listening to _nothing_ but The Achieve Men."

Giggling at the answer, Ruby obediently picked up the knife and started chopping. So this was how Blake would get revenge. Fine by her - she was getting tired of listening to that band too. Yang only played their album _all the time_.

"How were things here?" Blake asked while turning back to the salmon she was preparing to cook.

"Oh, you know...the usual."

"That exciting, huh?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Ruby deflected the look of concern Blake sent her way.

"It's not so bad. I actually did a lot of training."

"How'd that feel?"

"Good! I don't get tired as fast, except for -" Raising her left hand, she dropped it after Blake glanced over and nodded. "I just get a little bored sometimes, ya know? Like how many times can I swish Crescent Rose back and forth before my brain melts?"

Blake's only response was a thoughtful "hmm" while they carried out their tasks in preparation for dinner. Even if Blake didn't have a reply at this moment, Ruby knew that there'd probably be some type of task or challenge set up for her the next time she was left alone for a few days. That's kinda how Blake worked - give her information, she'd mull it over and then come up with a thoughtful solution.

In the meantime, they remained in silence while bringing dinner together. Normally Ruby was like Yang - they were both _terrible_ with silence. They were _always_ the ones to break it, no matter how awkward it was. But there was something about Blake's presence that allowed Ruby to be quiet and not feel uncomfortable with the lack of noise. Yang was the same way - the only time Ruby ever saw her sister sitting quietly was when Blake was around. Otherwise, Yang was constantly chattering about something. Which made Ruby chatter. Which made Yang chatter _more_. Which made _Ruby_ \- yeah, it was never ending.

Just when she'd finished dropping the tiny broccoli pieces into the steamer, she heard heavy footsteps bounding towards them.

"So what's for dinn-blegh! What's that smell?" Yang held her nose as soon as she entered the kitchen and Blake turned to give her an innocent smile.

"Just some salmon and steamed broccoli."

"Broccoli? Are you kidding me?!"

"You pick the music, I pick the food," Blake replied pointedly before turning back to the stove.

"I see how it is." Sauntering over to Blake, Yang offered the salt shaker before Blake even had the chance to ask for it. "You can't stand that I have _men_ in my life. You're jealous!"

Ruby rolled her eyes when Blake scoffed.

"You wish."

"You totally are! You're so jealous! Oh my god...I never thought I'd see the day _Blake Belladonna_ was _jealous_ of someone."

"That Ursa must have hit you in the head harder than I thought," Blake said, pressing the back of her hand to Yang's forehead with feigned concern before holding up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"One too many," Yang quipped with a grin. Blake promptly slapped Yang in the shoulder before walking to the cupboard to pull out some dishes.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Taking the stack of plates when Blake thrust them into her hands, Yang followed her girlfriend around the table with a big smile on her face. "How about - if you admit you're jealous, I'll _never_ listen to The Achieve Men again."

Clearing the knife and cutting board off of the table, Ruby giggled and shook her head to herself. There was _no way_ Blake would ever admit to being jealous! But...Ruby was a little tired of listening to the same album over and over again too...

"Do it, Blake," she encouraged, nodding when Blake turned to her in surprise. "You have to do it! Make her pay for all the suffering she's put us through!"

"So...what do you say?" Yang teased, wiggling her eyebrows in a friendly challenge. Blake looked between them carefully, ears twitching ever so slightly while pondering her reply.

"I say...dinner's almost ready."

When Yang let out a loud crow of victory, Ruby groaned.

"Blake just sentenced you to another year of The Achieve Men's greatest hits!" Yang said happily, quickly squeezing Ruby's shoulders while Ruby tried to give Blake a look of disappointment. It probably came out wrong because Blake only laughed and shook her head - the joyful sound making Ruby join in the laughter too.

A year ago she hadn't been sure how well they'd get along, especially because Blake came off as a little...unapproachable. It had never been easy for Ruby to strike up conversations with strangers, especially strangers who weren't very talkative, and Blake was the definition of quiet. But once they'd gotten to know each other a little better, Blake had turned out to be someone Ruby really enjoyed spending time with. Compared to her sister's more upbeat energy, Blake brought a calm, steady attitude to their home. Most importantly, Blake seemed to be really good for Yang...and vice versa.

Grabbing a handful of silverware, Ruby began setting forks and knives around the table while Blake brought over the plates of food. Yang was in charge of getting water, and lots of it. The two were probably a little dehydrated from their recent trip through the forest, after all.

In the middle of setting the bowl of freshly steamed broccoli on the table, Blake suddenly straightened.

"Yang, there's someone at the door," she said, nodding in that direction while repositioning the broccoli so it was directly in front of where Yang normally sat.

Setting a glass of water on the table, Yang plodded over to answer the door before the first knock could even occur.

"That's so cool," Ruby commented to Blake while pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I wish I could hear that well!"

"Believe me, sometimes it's not -"

"What are _you_ doing here?"

The annoyed, almost angry sounding question instantly drew Blake and Ruby's full attention. Ruby couldn't see who was outside, but Yang's posture was rigid and tense as she gripped the door knob tightly in one hand. It looked like she wanted to slam the door shut, but was restraining herself.

Blake was already at the door, tapping Yang's hand so she'd release the poor, dented knob. Ruby hadn't even noticed Blake getting out of her seat! Let alone walking out of the kitchen.

The voice of whoever was outside said something, but Ruby couldn't make out any words from where she was sitting. In unison, Blake and Yang both glanced back towards her before returning their gazes outside. Now even more curious, Ruby slid out of her seat and walked over to join the two at the door.

"What's going on?" she asked hesitantly, looking first at Yang and then Blake before stepping around them to see who was causing such a commotion.

From their reaction, she'd expected it to be...she didn't even know. Some sort of evil villain, maybe? Not that many bad guys would be polite enough to knock or use the front door, but she certainly hadn't expected to find a girl standing on the front step, looking really tired from the dark bags under her eyes.

The moment the girl saw Ruby, however, those eyes widened while she practically tripped off the front stoop taking a rushed step backwards.

There was nothing about the girl that was recognizable to Ruby. Long, white hair, on the shorter and really slender side, with light blue eyes that stared at Ruby like she was a ghost or something.

But their visitor was _pretty_ \- like the type of pretty in magazines or movies. One of Yang's friends, maybe?

Glancing back and forth between the stranger, her sister, and Blake several times, Ruby struggled to figure out what about this person was making Yang grit her teeth together so tightly.

"Ruby," Yang finally said, turning to give Ruby a forced smile. "This is Weiss. She was just leaving."

The way Weiss' brow furrowed at the comment suggested that she hadn't _actually_ planned on leaving, but she said nothing in return and continued to stare at Ruby.

Yang's open hostility was confusing. Yang liked anyone and everyone, so what could Weiss have done to make her this upset? Pull her hair or something?

"Nice to meet you!" Ruby finally rushed out with a smile, extending one hand when she remembered her manners. "I'm Ruby! But I...guess Yang just said that…"

With Ruby's hand hanging in midair, Weiss continued to stare. When several completely awkward seconds passed and Weiss still hadn't made any movement to accept the handshake, Ruby chuckled nervously and ran the hand through her hair, wishing that someone would say something.

Maybe it was the scar on her arm. It was visible in her short sleeves and sometimes it freaked people out a bit. Some people had scars though! Just like some people had freckles or ears or extra fingers and toes.

But Weiss hadn't looked at Ruby's arm, so...that probably wasn't why this felt so weird.

"Nice to meet you, Ruby…" Weiss finally said with a miniscule nod while her eyes flitted to and from Ruby's. Her voice was soft, like a whisper, but had a nice melody to it - like one Ruby would expect to hear in a music box.

But as soon as Weiss' voice disappeared, another uncomfortable silence settled over them. Thankfully, Blake came to the rescue before Ruby said the first stupid thing that popped into her mind. Which had been about ants. Why ants?

"We were just about to eat dinner...if you wanted to come in."

Ruby nodded her head at the invitation, but Yang's gaze was still locked onto Weiss. It looked like she wanted to strangle their poor visitor with just her eyes. And maybe she was, because Weiss seemed to struggle with the question before finally giving a quick nod of her head.

"That would be nice, thank you."

"I'll set a place for you!" Ruby offered before shooting into the kitchen to pull out an extra place setting. They hardly ever used the fourth chair at their table because they hardly ever (or never) had dinner guests, but it would come in handy tonight! This was a special occasion!

Noticing that her companions hadn't immediately followed her, she shot a glance back towards the entryway and found Yang having what looked like a pretty tense conversation with Weiss. But the second Yang noticed Ruby's gaze, she gave Ruby a big smile as if nothing were wrong. Talk about mixed signals!

"Ok guys, let's eat!" Yang remarked with a loud clap of her hands that made Weiss noticeably flinch. "Before Blake's delicious salmon and _broccoli_ gets cold and _inedible_."

"We wouldn't want that, now would we," Blake commented in return, gently squeezing Yang's shoulder before taking her place at the table.

While Ruby watched curiously, Weiss quietly took the remaining seat and meticulously unfolded the napkin before laying it across her lap. Eyes trained downward like she reading something very important, Weiss' hands smoothed and smoothed and smoothed the napkin until every last wrinkle _had_ to be gone. And then she smoothed some more.

Meanwhile, Ruby had _loads_ of questions about what had just happened - like who was this girl? Why was Yang so upset to see her? Why did they suddenly seem friendly again? And when would the napkin be smooth enough?

A long time ago Yang had told Ruby that the only way to know if she'd stared at someone for _too_ long was if they caught her in the act. Well, she stared for too long. Blue eyes suddenly looked up and locked onto hers, causing her to give Weiss a sheepish grin for being caught openly staring. Forcing her attention elsewhere, Ruby tried to remember her manners and not make guests uncomfortable.

But she was _curious_. It wasn't like they had guests over for regular dinner parties. And she didn't really interact with many people other than Yang or Blake. That, plus her own tendency to be a tad socially awkward, meant that having an unexpected guest for dinner was making her a little more squirmy than usual - _especially_ a guest who'd arrived under such mysterious circumstances.

"So Weiss," Yang began while spearing a piece of broccoli as if it had personally offended her. "What brings you to Vale? Last I heard you were on the other side of Remnant."

"I was in Atlas."

Weiss' reply was met with a scoff. "Same difference."

"You're from Atlas?" Ruby asked excitedly. "What's it like there?"

The expression Weiss gave Ruby was almost pained - like it was physically difficult to describe what Atlas was like. Was it really _that_ awful there? She'd heard that there was a lot of snow, but it couldn't be _that_ bad. Lots of snow meant lots of playing outside in the snow - which meant lots of _fun._

Maybe it was Yang's lack of hospitality that was making Weiss uncomfortable. Not to fear though! Ruby could easily make up for her sister - until she was given a good reason why she shouldn't. As of right now, she couldn't find a reason why she shouldn't talk to their dinner guest.

"It's...usually cold," Weiss replied slowly before clenching one hand in her lap and turning towards Yang. "And to answer your question, I'm here because I have business matters to attend to."

"Ah, so I'm guessing in a few days you'll be running off again? Back to your little oasis?"

The reply made Weiss' jaw square - her gaze not leaving Yang.

"No. I'll be here until it's finished."

"How long's that gonna take?"

"I don't know."

"It could be _years_ then," Yang said, waving a piece of salmon through the air. "Can you really spend _years_ here? I mean, doesn't that seem like a _long_ time to stick around in one place? 'Specially for you?"

"Like I said, I'll be here until it's finished."

While Weiss and Yang stared each other down, Ruby shot a glance towards Blake to see how she was interpreting what was going on. Of course Blake was so good at hiding emotions it was impossible to tell what she was thinking at this moment. Was she concerned? Curious? Hoping Yang didn't drop any salmon on the table?

Ok, Ruby had a lot of questions, but they must all have answers. This situation was easily solvable if she used _logic_. Maybe not, but that's what the most recent chapter of her battle strategy book had told her - 'logic may be a huntsmen's most important tool in battle.'

So, using logic, Ruby knew that Yang had let Weiss into the house for dinner. If Weiss was a bad person, Yang would've literally slammed the door in her face - Ruby had seen it happen before. Murderers didn't make it inside the house. At least, she _hoped_ murderers didn't make it inside the house.

If Yang would slam the door on a murderer and she _hadn't_ slammed the door on Weiss, then Weiss wasn't a murderer. Logic!

Wait...was that the question Ruby was trying to answer?

"What happened to your arm?" Yang asked bluntly, gesturing a fork towards Weiss' right arm. Looking carefully, Ruby finally noticed what Yang had already seen - there was a bulky section that looked an awful lot like a bandage under Weiss' sleeve. And Weiss was moving that arm rather tenderly, like she didn't want to hurt it.

But Yang's comment made Weiss draw her arm off the table and hold it carefully across her stomach.

"It's just a little sore. It will be better soon."

Looking between the two, Ruby was now super wondering what had happened to Weiss' arm, but it wasn't really her place to ask that type of question.

"What do you do, Weiss?" she asked instead, wishing to break up the tense staring and also learn some more about their guest. Weiss seemed pretty interesting - but, again, maybe that was just because Ruby didn't have the opportunity to speak to new people very often. From the way Yang and Blake were watching Ruby so closely, they seemed to agree that Ruby was a total klutz with social interactions.

She knew that she didn't have much experience talking to strangers, but she wasn't _that_ bad, sheesh!

"I...I help run my family's business."

"You've heard of the company, Ruby," Blake added, finally breaking her silence while delicately picking up a piece of salmon. "Does the name Schnee ring a bell?"

"Schnee...Schneeee…" Ruby tried out the sound of the name while mulling it over in her head. "Oh! Schnee as in Schnee Dust?"

While Weiss gave a thin smile, Blake nodded her head. Jaw dropped, Ruby turned her full attention back to Weiss, floored by the revelation.

"No _way_! Your family owns _Schnee_ _Dust_? That's so awesome! Do you know any of the like...super secret Dust secrets?"

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Like, what happens when you mix _all_ the different colors of Dust together?" Ruby asked, waiting intently for an answer. "I've heard that something _really_ awesome happens."

"You should never mix Dust on your own," Weiss remarked, looking alarmed by Ruby's question. "You're not mixing Dust, are you?"

"Oh, no," Ruby replied, waving it off as if that was a silly question (when it actually wasn't). "I mean, I've always _wanted_ to...but I've been told not to do that."

"Repeatedly," Yang added with a stern look cast across the table.

Ruby puffed out her bottom lip in a fake pout before turning back to Weiss, even more interested now. Dust was one of Ruby's favorite things! She'd read an entire book on it recently!

"But there has to be something, right?" she continued. "Another super secret...uh...secret...that you can tell us? One that won't get you in trouble though?"

Weiss thought about the question for a second before shaking her head. "If there are secrets, I probably haven't been told about them yet."

"Oh…" Turning to Blake and Yang in disappointment, Ruby could feel her balloon of excitement deflating.

"But, being in charge of such a big company, I'm sure you have some great stories. I've heard that red dust in particular can be quite...explosive," Blake pressed gently.

Weiss' expression went from confusion to understanding as she slowly nodded her head.

"I _have_ seen a large shipment of red Dust explode once," Weiss replied. "It was impure and too dangerous...or expensive...to dispose of any other way. They took it out into the middle of the desert and set it off. Watching from a few miles away you could still see the tower of sand shoot into the air. It actually covered the sun for a few seconds and caused a ripple to run through the ground even where we were stationed. The explosion was so hot it liquefied hundreds of yards of sand into molten glass."

Mouth hanging open, Ruby looked at Yang and received one raised eyebrow before turning back to Weiss.

"That's SO COOL!" she squealed. "Man, I wish I could've seen that! If I ever got my hands on that much Dust, I'd totally - do something really safe with it…"

Pushing a piece of broccoli around her plate, she gave her sister a guilty grin at the almost confession to her future crimes.

"Maybe you could come to one of the purification plants sometime. I'm sure I could arrange some type of demonstration for you, albeit on the much smaller scale."

"Are you serious?" Never in her life would she have thought that a stranger would walk into her house and invite her to see the place where Dust was purified AND let her watch it blow something up. "Yang, we should totally go!"

"I dunno Ruby, we don't want to inconvenience Weiss. She's a very busy and important person."

The response made Ruby's brow furrow for a second. She didn't actually remember Weiss saying that, but now that Yang mentioned it she realized that it must be true. Weiss _must_ be very important to have the power to arrange something like that.

"I wouldn't mind," Weiss interjected. "I actually need to visit the plant in Vale at some point, anyway."

Ruby gave Yang what she hoped was a look of pure begging, playing the 'cute little sister' card as hard as she could. When Yang sighed and said, "We'll see," Ruby clenched one fist in celebration.

"Blake could come too, right?" she asked, turning back to Weiss and finding blue eyes watching her intently. As soon as their eyes met though, Weiss lowered hers and nodded her head.

"Of course," Weiss answered while picking delicately at the food on her plate, most of it still untouched. "All of you are more than welcome. If you're free, of course. I've heard you two have been pretty busy recently."

"Oh, yeah! Yang and Blake are one of the best huntress pairs out there!" Ruby announced proudly, grinning at her sister. "They get all the cool hunts. They just got back from one where they had to get rid of a whole forest full of Nevermores!"

Yang grinned back at Ruby while Blake playfully shook her head.

"That's right - an _entire_ forest," Yang replied with a truthful nod. "Must've been a hundred of those dang things. Plus the Ursa. But Blake and I taught 'em a thing or two about flying without a license, if you know what I mean."

Giggling at her sister's corny line, Ruby glanced over at Weiss to see if she had thought it was funny too. But Weiss had her eyes trained on Yang with a blank expression on her face.

When Ruby looked away, it felt like Weiss was looking at her. But when Ruby turned back Weiss was always looking somewhere else. It was probably just the universe paying Ruby back for staring at Weiss earlier...

"Man, I wish I could've been there," Ruby commented mostly to herself. In her mind, she was seeing skies filled with Nevermores and forests filled with Ursa. Merely the thought of it added adrenaline to her veins - she could only imagine how it would feel to be in that situation for real.

"We could've used your speed. Damn Nevermores are tricky when they're swooping in full tilt." Yang made a dive bombing gesture with one hand to symbolize what she meant.

"Maybe I could go with you next time?"

The question was extra hopeful, making Blake and Yang share a surprised glance before Yang smiled and flicked a piece of broccoli onto Ruby's plate from across the table.

"A little more practice first, k? When you're ready, you can come - promise."

Momentarily let down, Ruby still managed to smile and nod her head.

"Yeah, of course!"

The answer was disappointing right now, but she knew that her sister was only looking out for her. And Yang would have a better idea of what was needed out in the forest than Ruby did, so she trusted her sister's judgement.

If Yang made a promise though, she would stick to it. Ruby just needed to fulfill her end of the bargain and train as hard as she could to get better. That's what she'd been doing anyway and everyday she could feel herself getting stronger and more capable. As long as she kept giving it her all, she'd be ready soon - she was sure of it!

"You're training for something?"

"Yeah!" she said, diverting her attention back to Weiss. "I'm a huntress in training!"

Puffing her chest out proudly, she deflated slightly when Weiss gave her a look that seemed more shocked by the proclamation than anything else.

"I'm really fast!" she added, "And I'm perfecting all my moves!"

Right as Weiss opened her mouth to respond, a loud ringing went off in the room. Confused by the sound, Ruby searched for the source before realizing that it was coming from Weiss' pocket. When Weiss pulled out her scroll, she glanced at it briefly before putting it away and giving all of them an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry to eat and run, but they need me at the office."

"This late?" Blake asked curiously. "Shouldn't everyone be home already?"

"We have employees working around the clock," Weiss answered while standing from her chair, looking hasty about taking her leave. When Yang stood to escort Weiss to the door, Ruby did too - it felt like the proper thing to do, after all.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Weiss said while quickly striding to the front door and opening it herself. "I...I hope we can do this again soon."

The words seemed to be directed right at Ruby, so she bobbed her head affirmatively. Weiss' eyes lingered on Ruby for a little longer before stepping outside the door.

"I like your necklace, by the way."

Grasping the item on instinct, Ruby scoured her brain for any compliment she could give Weiss in return.

"I, uh...I really like your skirt!"

At the response, Weiss grasped the hem with a small smile.

"It's a...combat skirt…" she whispered before rushing down the sidewalk towards a car that must be hers. Ruby watched Weiss' white hair disappear into the night until Yang closed the front door and bolted it shut once again.

Even after the door was closed, Yang stared at it intently...like it might decide to open again on its own. There was a small silence while Ruby waited for her sister to move, or blink, or anything. But Yang just stared - deep in thought about whatever the door was telling her.

"She seems nice!" Ruby finally cut in, causing Yang to turn and smile before gently rustling Ruby's hair.

"Yeah. I suppose she is..." her sister replied absentmindedly before walking back to the kitchen without another word. Turning to the side, Ruby found Blake watching Yang's retreat very carefully.

"Did you think she was nice?" Ruby asked, succeeding in making Blake smile and nod.

"She did seem nice. Help your sister with the dishes though?"

Nodding, Ruby raced over to start clearing off the table from dinner. Every few seconds she cast a glance towards Yang at the sink, who was still suspiciously quiet. She must be deep in thought over what had happened, but Yang was hardly ever deep in thought about anything! The crease in her brow hadn't left yet - if anything, it looked like the dishes had just personally insulted her.

"You ok?" Ruby asked while setting a stack of dishes next to her sister and lingering to wait for the answer.

"Huh?" Clearly distracted, Yang's eyes found Ruby's before relaxing into a warm smile. "Yeah, Ruby. I'm just fine."

"You're being awfully quiet though!"

"Do I need to talk all the time?"

"Yes!" Ruby answered emphatically. "Otherwise you're not Yang! You're...bizarro Yang!"

When Yang grinned mischievously, Ruby skipped away the instant one soapy hand came shooting out of the water towards her.

"Ha!" she exclaimed proudly. "Who's too fast for slow-poke Ya-hey!"

Sputtering when a splash of water hit her in the face, Ruby quickly wiped it away on her shoulder before grinning at the sight of Yang laughing happily.

"Who's the slow-poke now?"

"You are!" Ruby shouted back from the safety of the other side of the table while Yang held up a glass half filled with water. When Blake calmly walked between the two of them, Ruby stuck her tongue out when Yang smiled innocently and set the glass back in the sink.

There was _no way_ Yang would risk accidentally splashing Blake with water.

"How do you guys feel about some ice cream?" Blake asked while setting a plate beside Yang and placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed, her excitement soaring into the clouds before it just as quickly disappeared. "But Yang ate it all last week, remember?"

"I ate the _last_ of it, but, if I recall, I wasn't the one to eat the first ninety percent of that carton."

This time it was Yang's turn to stick her tongue out at Ruby.

"I'll go get some more," Blake offered, ignoring their childish antics in favor of giving Ruby a questioning glance. "If you want some?"

"That's a question with only one answer!"

Laughing, Blake placed another quick kiss to Yang's cheek and whispered several soft words in her ear before heading towards the door.

"I'll be back soon."

When the door closed again, Ruby turned and caught the way Yang was watching after Blake with that stupid little half smile on her face. Shaking her head, Ruby picked up the bowl holding the leftover broccoli and tossed it lightly between her fingertips. But before taking it over to the sink, she remembered her practice from this morning - her very successful test run, actually. And broccoli would be _even better_ than flaming milk because it combined Yang's distaste for the vegetable with an easy way to prevent them from having to eat the leftovers.

This was genius.

"Hey, Yang!" Ruby called out while spinning the bowl in her hand. "Can you turn on the disposal? I wanna show you something!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back everyone, to chapter 3. We still have a really, really long way to go here, but I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Reminder that chapter 4 is already up for patrons - also that a lot of things are intentionally not being said at the moment. I know you want all of the answers right now, but they'll come in time!**

 **I hope you're all having a great weekend so far!**

* * *

After shutting the car door, she waited for the interior lights to turn off before resting her hands and forehead against the steering wheel and taking a deep breath. She was still shaking - her entire body quivering with its own life. Hopefully no one had noticed her hands trembling while she'd tried to eat her food - and if they had, hopefully they'd written it off as a result of the cold...even though the Vale spring weather was anything but chilly tonight.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and told herself she would remain that way until her heart calmed down to a more normal speed.

That had been hard. Far more difficult than she'd ever imagined it could be. Ruby's smile...her laugh...that little giggle whenever Yang said something funny...none of it had changed. Every little gesture was painfully familiar and yet Weiss had been forced to watch dinner unfold as an outsider - looking through the window of something that had once been hers.

It had grown more unbearable with every second that ticked by without some form of recognition from Ruby. And when Ruby brought up wanting to become a huntress...Weiss had purposefully set off the ringer on her phone and jumped at the opportunity to escape. It wouldn't have been possible for her to remain in that conversation without giving away something bigger...

But she'd done it. After spending the entire airship ride to Vale and then the remainder of the day convincing herself that this was the only task she had left to accomplish, she'd actually managed to summon enough courage to see it through.

She'd done what she'd come here to do. She'd seen Ruby one last time. Yang and Blake too.

As an added bonus, Yang hadn't knocked her into the next century and Blake hadn't riddled her in sarcastic barbs.

But now her chest burned - consumed by an ache and longing she'd tried long and hard to stifle. This was what she'd been trying to avoid in the first place. This was why she'd run. And why she wanted to run again.

What'd she'd thought would be a mountain to climb had turned out to be an entire range of mountains. The river to cross wasn't just wide and deep, but roiling with rapids and invisible undercurrents. If that small interaction had been enough to melt her resolve...there was no possible way she could stay.

Right?

Fear was growing in her chest - impossible to stamp out with any degree of fake boisterousness. But was there a point of continuing to lie to herself? She was terrified. Terrified of making the wrong decision, terrified of returning to Atlas, terrified of remaining in Vale.

If she went back to Atlas, she'd return to a life without Ruby - which was...well, it wasn't truly living. Foolishly, she'd always believed that being apart would become easier as time passed, but that had turned out to be nothing more than another miserable fallacy.

Life had only gotten harder. _Living_ had gotten harder. Things she'd once loved had become meaningless. Everything had grown dull, boring, and lifeless.

But if she remained here…

What was she thinking? Staying in Vale wasn't an option. There was nothing for her here. Except for Ruby. Ruby...who was the same shining star she'd always been. Ruby was the key - Weiss' key to the vibrant world they'd once shared together. If she ever wanted to see that place again, she needed Ruby.

But Ruby didn't even know who Weiss was. _It didn't matter_ how much she needed Ruby - needing her and having her agree to be in Weiss' life were two separate issues entirely.

With another heavy sigh, she opened her eyes and briefly rubbed at her right elbow. The wound was much better today, but she was favoring it and evidently in an observable way. The last thing she'd wanted her teammates to know was that she'd been injured, but of course Yang had pinpointed the weakness. Weiss was certain Blake had noticed, as well, but had decided not to comment upon it.

Sparing a quick glance towards the small home, her heart instantly jumping as she did so, she finally fished the car keys from one pocket, brought the vehicle to life, and drove away. There wasn't a particular destination in her mind other than _away_. Away from the memories, away from the pain, away from Ruby.

Yet while she drove aimlessly through vaguely familiar yet strange streets, her mind drifted back to Ruby and Ruby only. Her brunette hair had grown a little longer than Weiss had ever seen it, most likely to cover the scar she knew hid underneath. But it looked good. And, impossibly, Ruby had grown taller - or maybe Weiss just wasn't used to being in her presence.

Tall, healthy, and...strong.

Just as it had been obvious that Weiss was injured, it was obvious that Ruby had regained a great portion of her strength over the past year. There was nothing about her that hinted at frailty. And there was nothing but the scar tracing a jagged line across one wrist that suggested any previous injuries.

That hadn't been the same girl Weiss had left behind. That had been...someone new and unfamiliar, yet so heart wrenchingly familiar Weiss had had trouble doing anything but stare and wish that their lives had turned out differently.

Stopping at a traffic light, Weiss glanced out the side window at what had once been a row of houses, but had since been torn down and replaced by a bustling shopping center. Momentarily watching shoppers walk in and out of the stores, she willingly averted her gaze when it was time to drive away.

So much had changed since she'd been here last. Even herself - she'd changed in ways she never would have imagined several years ago. None of it was for the better, but it was change regardless...

She could leave. She could drive herself to the nearest airship station right now and be on the next flight to Atlas. She could leave this world behind and make her peace with the fact that Ruby was going to live on without her. That's what she'd already been doing, wasn't it?

But something seemed different...something had changed. A few hours ago Weiss had expected to be running from Vale with wings on her feet, but those wings hadn't yet appeared. Instead, it felt like...it felt like she wanted to stay.

Maybe for a few more days. There'd be little harm in delaying her return to Atlas until she was absolutely certain that's what she wanted to do. And maybe, just maybe, while she was here she could find a way to see Ruby again. If there was any glimmer of hope for Weiss - any extra breath of life to fuel the tiny flame of resolve that was trying to spark in her heart - it was what Ruby had been wearing.

On cue, there was a fluttering of emotions in Weiss' chest that had grown unfamiliar from its extended absence.

Ruby still had it. The necklace - Weiss had noticed it immediately. There _must_ be a reason why Ruby had kept it. Did she know what it meant? Did she understand its significance? It couldn't be that Ruby had decided to wear it on a whim...could it?

Weiss had to believe, or hope, that there was still a section hidden away in Ruby's mind that remembered. _Somewhere_ there was still a thread of connection between them. If Weiss somehow found the courage and determination, maybe she could reach it.

But first things first - she needed to call Winter.

Pressing a single button on the dash, she said "Call Winter" in a steady voice before waiting patiently for the call to go through. It connected on the very first ring.

"Where have you been?" Winter immediately demanded, her tone stern and unhappy. "I left three messages with your office today and no one knew where you were."

"I'm in Vale."

There was a long silence at the other end of the phone while Weiss clutched the steering wheel a little tighter in anticipation of a response.

"Vale?" Winter finally repeated in a whisper of disbelief.

"Yes."

"Did you -"

"Yes," Weiss spoke again before her sister could ask the entire question.

"And?"

And her life had been thrown on its head, again. And she didn't know what was right, again. And she didn't know what to do, again.

"I might be here for a little while," she said in lieu of answering the question directly. "Would you mind if I stayed at the place you have here?"

"Yes, of course, Weiss. But...how long do you think you'll be there?"

The answer to that question was still so far up in the air Weiss couldn't even begin to guess at a timeline. When would this small breath of willpower fade away? It could be a few minutes before she decided to leave. Or a few hours, a few days...

"I'm not sure…" she muttered, mostly to herself. "As long as I can…"

"I can take care of everything here while you're gone. Do you need anything?"

"No," she replied on instinct before realizing just how ill-prepared she was for an extended stay in Vale. Sighing, she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel while asking, "You wouldn't happen to have any clothes I could borrow at the house, would you?"

She'd been in such a rush to leave Atlas that she hadn't brought anything with her but the clothes on her back. Unless she wanted to wear the same outfit everyday, she was going to need some new clothes.

"There might be some, but I'm really not sure what I left there."

Even though Winter couldn't see her, Weiss nodded in understanding while a possible solution came to mind.

"That's alright. I think I know where I can find some…"

"But if there's anything else, you'll let me know?" Winter pressed. "Even if you need me to come to Vale -"

"No - no, that's alright," Weiss cut her sister off before Winter actually jumped on a transport to follow her. "I'm doing fine right now, but I'll let you know if that changes."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

There was a short silence while Winter analyzed the situation - calculating whether or not to believe in Weiss' words. Weiss would like to say that she'd never broken a promise made to her sister before, but there had been times when she hadn't wanted Winter to worry. As the eldest Schnee child, Winter already had so many other worries to deal with...

"Alright," Winter finally acquiesced. "If anything changes, let me know right away."

"I will," Weiss repeated before pausing briefly. "And...thank you."

"You're welcome, Weiss. Please update me soon."

"I will."

Ending the call, Weiss felt as if a tiny weight had been temporarily lifted from her shoulders. It was a challenge to go through this on her own, but Winter's support and understanding went a long way in making her feel not quite so alone. Those were qualities that Weiss could be nothing but grateful for in her sister.

The two of them had always been close, but the past year had forced a wedge between them. Seemingly overnight Winter had become, in many ways, all Weiss had left in the world. And even though Weiss loved her sister unconditionally, she'd found it close to impossible to explain a fraction of the thoughts and emotions running through her head. Winter had been as helpful as possible given the circumstances, but Weiss knew that her sister worried more than was ever expressed through words.

Weiss wished that she could say the worry was misplaced, but given the events of the last few days and her ever deteriorating frame of mind, it likely wasn't.

Regardless, Winter's unflinching support removed worries about the life Weiss had abruptly left behind. There would be no angry calls from her father for abandoning the headquarters and no panicked calls from managers who had no idea what to do if they weren't pointed in the right direction. There was always work Weiss could do from Vale, if need be, but right now she didn't need to concern herself with those matters.

Having been driving aimlessly since leaving the house, Weiss blinked out of her thoughts and took a few seconds to figure out where she'd ended up before charting a course to her second destination. There was one more stop she had to make - one that was probably ill advised, but she was determined to see this through tonight.

If she'd managed to sit down at a table next to Ruby, she should absolutely be able to do this.

That comparative knowledge did little to quell the dread that began to creep through her mind as the streets grew more recognizable. Looking through the windows no longer greeted her with new sights, but with memories of days past.

There was the house that attorney had purchased only to lose several months later in a messy divorce. There was the treehouse a devoted father had spent months building for his twin sons, who then used it religiously as their hideout. There was the street that led to one of the best coffeeshops in town - the shopping center with Ruby's favorite ice cream parlor - the stump of the poor oak tree that had been struck by lightning in a huge thunderstorm that had rolled through.

And then, the familiar iron gate that ran along the property line, dividing the lawn beyond from the street and neighbors next door. Behind the fencing and up a small drive was a white home with dark blue shutters framing the windows.

Steering the car up to a keypad outside the entrance to the drive, she punched in a set of numbers and waited patiently for the gates to slide smoothly open. They screeched as they slid apart, likely to do lack of use and proper oiling. Once they were fully opened, she continued up the drive before pulling to a stop by the front door and turning the car off.

Just a quick run inside. She'd grab a few things to wear and that was it.

Sitting in the car, she stared out the passenger window and felt her palms grow clammy at the thought of moving any closer.

The home was very moderately sized - at least, compared to what Weiss was used to. Two stories, three bedrooms with a large yard out back, she'd actually found this house to be more comfortable than any of the mansions her family owned. The porch light was on - as were the interior lights in the hallways, visible through the white slats of plantation shutters behind clean panes of glass. Her personal code at the gate had lit the house up in expectation of her arrival, as if welcoming her back.

In and out - five minutes maximum.

She'd sat right next to Ruby at the dinner table. She could do this.

Clenching a fist and pushing the car door open, she crept towards the front door with more and more uncertainty beginning to swell in her chest. This seemed like a horrible decision, but it would be the fastest and easiest way to get an entire wardrobe of her own clothing without spending needless hours shopping. The outfits would be a little out of style, but that had never been a problem as far as Ruby was concerned.

Three wide stone steps led her up to a front door in the same color as the shutters. The door handle was a glowing bronze that looked newly polished. The side windows were sparkling and clean.

It almost looked as if someone still lived here.

Beside the front door was a separate keypad which required a separate code - but this code hadn't been changed in years. Even though Weiss hadn't been here in quite some time, she'd refused to change it. Buried deep down, she'd hung onto a foolish feeling that maybe one day…one day everything would be different.

"One, six, five, eight - now I know I won't be late," she whispered to herself while punching in the code. The keypad immediately lit in green and she heard the deadbolts unlock.

Reaching for the door handle, she found her fingers were trembling. Drawing them back and curling them into a ball, she took a deep breath and reminded herself what it had been like walking up the sidewalk to Yang and Blake's front door - how it had taken almost an hour to convince herself out of the car, how her feet hadn't wanted to leave the street, how she'd nearly turned back a dozen times as she shook like a leaf in nervousness.

This would be far easier and faster than what she'd just gone though. For one thing, there would be no one here. Plus, she knew exactly what she wanted to grab and exactly where to find it.

Turning the handle, she pushed open the door and glided through before she lost her miniscule burst of courage. Once inside silence quickly enveloped her - silence and stillness unlike anything she would have expected, broken only by the unsettling tick tock of a faraway clock. A car drove past on the street behind her, but then the sound faded into nothing and left her alone with the clock.

The chandelier in the entryway still sparkled like it had been installed yesterday. The dark wood floor was immaculately clean. The little wooden table by the coat closet was devoid of dust. The bookcase near the entry to the living room was tidy and clean. The cleaning crew she'd been paying was doing an excellent job - everything was spotless, but cleanliness did nothing to remove the unnerving lack of motion surrounding her.

A mental timer was ticking in her head - urging her to move faster, to not dwell for too long in any particular space. She needed to _hurry_ , but instead she inched forward, looking left and right while trying to decide if she wanted to head further inside.

When her eyes lit upon some of the items that hadn't moved in years, her chest tightened with emotion that compounded with every momento and photograph she found. While Yang and Blake's house had been devoid of memories, this one was filled with them. They were staring at her from the walls, the table, the bookcase…happier days that had been captured for eternity, filled with smiles, pride, and love. Birthdays...anniversaries...vacations...

Focusing her eyes straight forward, she tried to move towards the staircase directly in front of her. The long wooden banister was beckoning her to move upstairs, to leave the wood floor behind in favor of plush, off white carpet that had seen its fair share of wear and tear. But when she forced one foot forward, it felt like the eyes were following her. They begged her to turn towards them - to take a painful trip down memory lane that she might never return from. 'Pick me,' they all said. 'Don't you want to remember this day?' 'Don't you want to remember how things were?'

'Don't you want to remember what you used to have?' 'Don't you want to remember how it used to be?'

Finally breaking, she shot over to the nearest wall and turned the frame around so the photo was facing away from her. The frame on a nearby table was flattened immediately after. The opposite wall had two more pictures. The table by the front door had three little ones. Each and every one was turned down or flipped around so she could no longer see what contents they held.

It was only when the memories had been silenced that she could breathe a little more easily. The fewer memories, the better.

Walking towards the staircase, she's just set one hand upon the banister when her eyes landed upon a vase sitting on the table by the closet. It had been the subject of great turbulence during its short life - having been repeatedly on the verge of death due to the great winds that used to tear through the hallways at hurricane speeds. Now here it sat...perfectly still and safe from any potential harm.

Lifting her hand from the railing and diverting from her course, she decided that it would be best to put it out of sight - just in case.

Walking over and carefully picking it up in one hand, she opened the closet door only to gasp in surprise and stumble away - shoving the door shut as she did so.

How, after all this time, did it still smell like roses in there?

Heart pounding, she stood in the middle of the hallway - freezing to one spot like her feet had just been set in cement. If memories were like ropes, she could feel them tying around her limbs - tugging and pulling her away from her grip on reality. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to ground herself in this place while her past tried to tear her away from it.

She'd left the front door open. She'd turned the pictures around. There were roses in the other vase by the front door - had those always been there? There were roses in the vase in her hand - she immediately let go and watched it fall to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces as water and flower petals flowed around her feet.

Her breathing was desperate - her pulse pounding erratically as she struggled to regain control of her emotions. She knew what was happening. Emotional trauma, they called it. Each mind has its own way of coping with pain and loss, especially after events that were particularly distressing. Her scars manifested themselves in the source of her pain - memories. Memories of Ruby. Memories of the past. They haunted her.

But understanding what was happening didn't make it any easier to stop it.

Closing her eyes, she focused on taking deep breaths. One long inhale - she held it until her lungs burned before letting it out in a long, shaky exhale.

"One..."

There weren't roses in the vases. She'd specifically instructed the housekeepers to keep all plants out of the house.

Another deep inhale. Wait. Exhale slowly.

"Two…"

So it couldn't smell like roses in here. Because there hadn't been roses in here for over a year.

"Three…"

Because Ruby hadn't been here since -

' _Four! Ready or not, Weiss - here I come!'_

The front door slammed behind her as she raced back to the car and jumped inside. The house disappeared in the rearview mirror as she sped down the drive before re-entering her code at the gate to let her back onto the streets and lock the memories away behind her.

That had been a horrible idea. A horrible, horrible idea. And clearly one she wasn't close to ready for. New clothes would be easy to find - she'd just have to go shopping. She didn't necessarily _want_ to go shopping, but she would have to because her other option was…

She couldn't set foot in that house again. It was still too soon, which was remarkable seeing as how it had already been a year. But it was still...far too soon...

When the house was gone from view her heartbeat finally began to return to a normal speed while her hands loosened their death grip on the steering wheel. Sounds of the street passing by outside came back to her once her pulse stopped pounding in her ears. And her brain came back to reality - only to find that she'd again been driving with no purpose and no direction.

Quickly picking up her surroundings, her new destination took her to the part of Vale where small neighborhoods gave way to massive plots of land. The houses grew further and further apart as lawns and landscaping grew by leaps and bounds with each passing block.

It was in this area of town where Winter's house lay - and it was one of the larger buildings in sight. Rather than hide the enormous size of the mansion behind cleverly placed trees and winding drives, this house was ostentatiously standing at the top of a small knoll. The heightened elevation ensured that passerby would take notice of the grand manor from afar.

The entrance to the property was accompanied by a guard station, where the singular guard was probably tasked with one of the slowest jobs in Remnant seeing as how Winter spent all of her time anywhere but Vale. This lack of duties likely explained the pep in his step as he shot to his feet and walked out of his guard booth to greet her.

"May I help you, Miss?" he asked after she'd rolled down her window. His eyes lit up at the sight of her, but he didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that she and Winter were related. That was a good sign - the guards her family needed to be concerned about were the ones who jumped to conclusions about relationships. Even though she and Winter had the same hair...one could never be too careful.

"You should have received a call from my sister, Winter," she replied calmly. "I'm guessing the code will be...six-five-zero."

That was the passcode Winter had assigned to Weiss when she was much younger, and they now used in any situation where Weiss needed access to something her sister owned.

Six - the age Weiss had been when she'd gotten Myrtenaster.

Five - the number of moves it had taken her to defeat her first Grimm, a lowly Boarbatusk.

Zero - the chance of Winter ever not having Weiss' back.

The guard grinned at the correct passcode and reached into his booth to push the button to open the wrought iron gates for her.

"Welcome, Miss Schnee," he said while the gates quietly slid open. "How long will you be staying?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet," she answered truthfully. "It could be awhile, if things go well."

The news seemed to make his night while he waved her through.

"Take your time! And if you need anything while you're here, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you -…?" Her words trailed off when she realized she hadn't gotten his name.

"Charles! But you can call me Chuck - everyone does. Well, you can."

"Thank you, Chuck," she replied with a courteous smile before rolling up the window and continuing up the drive towards the large manor. In the rearview mirror, she watched him duck back into his outpost as soon as she'd left. It was entirely likely that Winter had requested him to update her whenever Weiss arrived. And she wouldn't be surprised if Winter had also instructed him to provide consistent updates on Weiss' comings and goings while she was staying here - that sounded entirely like something her sister would do.

But that subtle supervision was to be expected regardless of where Weiss decided to stay while in Vale. If anything, she'd saved her sister the effort of finding and hiring a good tail on such short notice. Although Weiss did know of an exceptional tail who happened to live in the area…

Pulling around the large circular drive to the front of the building, her pulse beat easily at the sight of the unfamiliar house sprawling in front of her. She'd been here several times before, but always by herself and never for more than a brief visit when Winter happened to be in town. The lack of memories was a breath of fresh air and exactly what she needed after a tumultuous couple of days that had put her through both the physical and mental wringer.

Striding easily up to the front door, she found that she had to use both hands to pull it open due to its massive size. That was one of the problems with such an impressive oak door. It was beautiful, but weighed far too much to be reasonably practical.

As soon as the door had opened, lighting inside the house clicked on to welcome her into the expansive foyer. After stepping inside and pulling the front door shut behind her, she took a minute to survey the decorations surrounding her. Elegant paintings, an impressive crystal chandelier, soft lighting that was perfect for the evening, and several large open doorways leading elsewhere in the house.

The unfamiliarity nearly made her sigh out loud in relief.

Winter's home was a bit...large...for a single person, but that meant there would be plenty of bedrooms to choose from. She should be able to easily find one that was comfortable and as different as possible from any room she'd stayed in before.

Leaving the foyer behind, Weiss walked through the downstairs living room first to create a general feel for the layout of her temporary housing. Before she could even attempt to find the light switch for the room, the lighted chandeliers turned on automatically. Staring into the room for several seconds in surprise, it was only when she found the set of complex light switches along wall that she remembered that Winter had had an automatic lighting system installed.

The lighting in the entire house ran off of sensors hidden throughout the walls. The room would speak to each other and turn the lights on and off as the home's inhabitants walked about. It was one of those technologies she'd always found to be a little unnerving, but was highly touted by the wealthy elite.

Walking through the living room, with the carpet absorbing any sound her feet might make, the light in the room up ahead turned on before she'd even reached it. It left her with the feeling that someone was always a few seconds ahead of her - flipping switches to save her the effort.

Entering a well-equipped study next, which was decorated in soft blues instead of the cream and gold of the living room, she turned around to see when the lights in the recently vacated room would switch off. They remained on while she watched, so she took several more steps into the middle of the study before sensing the change in lighting behind her.

The system was accurate, which was good. And she was sure she would eventually get used to the lights following her around the house. Maybe she would even enjoy not having to flip switches all of the time, not that that was any real hassle.

Continuing her brief tour, she left behind the study filled with books on combat strategy and Dust manufacturing in order to peruse the massive kitchen and dining room. The dining room table had enough chairs to seat twelve, which seemed inordinately excessive for a person who lived alone.

Making it to one end of the house, she found a staircase that would lead her to the upper level - where the bedrooms would lie. After taking the stairs, she found that the second story was nothing more than a long hallway with doors along both sides, split in the middle by an upstairs living room lit by moonlight.

About a third of the hallway was currently illuminated, but it was difficult to tell how far the hallway went in the darkness that stretched beyond. Unperturbed, she began peeking into the rooms to find one she might like. The bedrooms didn't seem to be connected to the automatic lighting system, which made sense from a rational standpoint if people were sleeping, but this meant that every door she opened greeted her with a pitch black room beyond. The darkness was short lived, however, as each room had its own light switch tucked right inside the door - in an easy to find location.

After peeking into the first two rooms and immediately marking them off as viable options, she searched the next few rooms before coming to the same determination. It would most likely be one of the corner rooms she was searching for since those were often the largest and most livable spaces, but she would check each one just to be sure.

While she slowly made her way down the hall, she heard the soft 'click, click' of lights shutting off behind her and turning on in front of her. Each room she glanced into was nice and immaculately decorated, but she wanted something a little bigger if she was going to be staying here for the foreseeable future.

Marking off two more bedrooms, she finally made it to the upstairs living room. It was a large space that stretched the entire width of the house with windows lining the walls on both sides. Combined with a skylight overhead, it was essentially a room made of glass with hallways attached to both sides.

With the night sky surrounding her, the ambience of the room was calming and magnificent.

Standing in the center of the space and looking up, she could easily make out several fragments of the moon shining above her - glowing brightly amongst the stars. One piece in particular immediately drew her full attention - the small sliver that Ruby firmly believed held the soul of her mother, Summer Rose.

They'd still been in their first year at Beacon when Ruby had explained her beliefs...which Weiss might have immediately refuted had it not been for the undying love and adoration in Ruby's eyes as she told the story. Even though Weiss had known it was fundamentally incorrect, she hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Ruby as much. What type of person knowingly tried to take away the faith that helped a girl cope with having lost her mother?

It had only been after Ruby's confession that Yang had pulled Weiss aside and explained exactly how it had come to be - how Yang had made the entire story up as a way to make Ruby feel better about what had happened. How Ruby had latched onto it with her entire being and firmly believed it to this day.

Regardless of its factual shortcomings, none of them had ever said anything to contradict Ruby's belief. Instead, they'd started sending little 'thank yous' up to Summer whenever they were particularly lucky in battle. Strange happenings were Summer's way of playing a trick on them. Fortunate turns of events were gifts. A sudden gust of wind on a still day was Summer's way of saying 'hello.'

It had begun as Yang's attempt to make her little sister feel better, but in the end it had affected them all. The idea that there was some spirit up in the sky looking after them was preposterous, but also...comforting, in a way. And there had been many instances where their team had either been entirely too lucky, or something else had intervened in their favor.

Staring up through the skylight at the piece of moon she could pick out without hesitation, she gently rubbed at her right arm before dropping both hands to her sides.

"Summer..." she whispered, the name strange on her tongue. There were some days, like today, when she really wished it was true - that Ruby's mother was up there like some type of angel, looking down and protecting her daughter. Because Weiss hadn't been.

The threat of tears forced her eyes down, but she sent one last glance up towards the moon - one last whisper that would go unheard.

"I'm sorry - I...wasn't there for her. But I'll make it right, somehow..."

Rushing out of the living room and into the next hallway, she quickly found the master bedroom - it was the only door on the left side of the hall and took up an incredible amount of space. It was...too large. The sheer size of the suite made the king sized bed inside look comically small. She didn't understand how Winter could stand to sleep in such cavernous spaces…

Well, Weiss had once been able to too. Growing up, her room had been far larger than necessary. It had actually been a set of three rooms - bedroom, sitting room, and study - with enough space that it probably could have comfortably housed two full families.

What had changed? She'd gone to Beacon and she'd been forced share a tiny room with three other girls. There had been some growing pains, but in the end...comfort wasn't having space, but rather having company.

Shutting the door to the master bedroom, she had two doors left on the opposite side of the hallway. Based on the spacing of the doors these had to be smaller suites - demi-suites, she believed they were called. Heading towards the one at the end of the hallway near another staircase, she paused for a second when she sensed that something wasn't quite right. Turning back down the hallway, she instantly found what had caused her unease.

The lights in the upstairs living room were still on. They shouldn't be...since there were sections of hall between her and the room that had already switched off, yet they were.

Standing in the hallway, she stared for several seconds while trying to decide whether or not she should walk back to the room and see what was wrong. It could be that the sensor was broken or set up incorrectly, but caution won out in the end and she crept quietly back to the room.

It was impossible to sneak with the lighting announcing her approach, but she kept her eyes and ears peeled for any sight or sound of movement. One hand went defensively to her side only to remember that she didn't have Myrtenaster with her at the moment - her weapon still safely stored in a locker back in Atlas.

Undeterred, she focused instead on her semblance while taking calculated steps forward. Her eyes swept every bit of the room while it slowly came into view, but there was nothing out of place. Dropping some of her caution, she walked fully into the room and stood between two dark blue sofas, spinning in a slow circle and carefully checking every corner.

Nothing. There was no one here, which was as she'd expected. And there was nothing noticeably changed from when she'd been standing here last.

The sensor must be broken. Or maybe there was a faulty wire somewhere. The system probably worked just enough that the lights would trigger to turn on, but now they weren't capable of turning back off.

Finding the set of switches on one side of the room, she headed over and pressed the pad where the 'off' command should be. When nothing happened, she pressed it again - a little longer and harder this time - but again nothing happened. Next she tried _all_ of the possible commands, but was met with the same results.

Apparently the lights in this room were critically broken. Seeing as how she wasn't an electrician, it wasn't anything she'd be able to fix. She'd just have to live with the lights staying on for the time being, which wasn't a huge issue at all.

Quickly heading back to the corner suite, she made sure to check the lights once more and, sure enough, they were still on. Making a mental note to call someone in the morning, she finally opened the door and immediately knew that this was the room she'd been searching for.

It was perfect - large enough to call home for an extended period of time, but not overbearing like the master suite. It had four sets of windows, two on each side of the outer wall, along with an outdoor balcony that appeared to stretch the length of all four windows. The bed was a traditional four-post with what must be a mile of covers and blankets on top. The room was also equipped with a rather large closet which she could stock full of new clothes as soon as she had them.

With a safe place to sleep, the events of the past day were quickly catching up to her. She'd been traveling for several days now, stretching back to before the battle in the forest, and was sufficiently exhausted. In fact, she was so exhausted that it felt like she'd be able to fall right into bed and fall asleep.

First, she walked into the bathroom and found it was stocked with new toiletries like a fine hotel, which was superb since she hadn't brought any of those items with her. The more she thought about it, the more she understood how much of a knee jerk reaction this trip had been. All because of a picture.

But that picture had told her something her imagination never could have. Maybe her mistakes hadn't completely destroyed everything. Maybe something good could be salvaged from the wreckage.

After preparing herself for bed, she gratefully laid down only for her mind to begin racing the instant she closed her eyes.

Ruby...Ruby was in every corner of her mind.

Her memories of Ruby had been frozen in time for so long that new memories were nearly overpowering in their clarity. Hearing Ruby laugh...seeing her smile...answering questions…the entire evening had been one Weiss had never believed possible.

Internally groaning, she remembered the very much failed handshake that would have given her the opportunity to feel Ruby's warmth again. How she'd managed to blunder such a simple display of manners was beyond her. All she could remember was that the very sight of Ruby had made her want to run back to the safety of the car. Somehow she'd willed herself to stay...it had been the necklace. She'd seen it as soon as Ruby had stuck out a hand towards her. That little token had given her the temporary boost of courage she'd needed to stick around a little while longer.

She hadn't exactly been the most engaging dinner guest for the time she'd managed to stay, though. She could have spoken up more - been funnier or more clever. She knew how much Ruby enjoyed humor of any sort, but in that moment her mind had been frozen solid. It was easy for her to think of things she should have said _now_...but now was too late. It had only been with Blake's help that Weiss had even been able to tell the story about the shipment of red Dust.

At the recollection of that moment, something stronger than sadness began growing in her chest...despair. It was the same despair that had crushed her spirit this past year. It was the same despair that had pressed her into a tighter and tighter box, unwilling to let her breathe.

Lip quivering as her chest tightened, she squeezed her eyes shut and struggled to push away the emotion as it fought against her.

Ruby didn't recognize her, but Ruby also didn't remember any of the memories they'd shared together. They'd all watched that shipment of Dust explode. They'd all watched the tower of sand shoot towards the sky. They'd all felt the blast of heat roll over them even at the distance they'd been sheltering from.

Those moments were gone from Ruby's mind. And Weiss was now a stranger - someone Ruby wouldn't be comfortable spending time alone with - which was why she'd invited Yang as company.

Yang's image popped into Weiss' mind then - her purple eyes narrowed in loathing. Honestly, Weiss was surprised that Yang hadn't slammed the door in her face. Or worse, knocked her into the next century with one good punch. She wasn't dense - she knew that Yang was beyond livid. And she'd been able to hear the sound of protesting metal as Yang had crushed the door knob on the other side of the door in self-restraint.

At least Yang had been straightforward in her quickly uttered warning - mess things up and she would rip out Weiss' trachea. It was certainly one of the most violent threats Weiss had ever received, but she didn't think it was undeserved. Honestly, she probably deserved far worse than that - although she wasn't going to go volunteering that admission to Yang at this point.

Thankfully, Weiss had no plans of 'messing up.' Although she wasn't sure that anyone ever actually planned to do that. She certainly hadn't planned on making such colossal mistakes herself, yet here she was...struggling to atone for them.

Yang and Blake's new house had been an unexpected surprise - Weiss hadn't even known they'd moved until she'd gone to their old address and discovered a new family living there. As a stroke of good fortune, the kind older couple been able to point her in the right direction - Yang's propensity to overshare working in Weiss' advantage for once.

She'd always pictured Blake and Yang moving into a bigger place, not smaller. But the pair had always had their own way of going about things. Blake, in particular, was more fond of comfortable than lavish.

Thinking about Blake, Weiss covered her eyes with one hand even though the room was completely dark. Before attending Beacon, she never would have thought she'd be close friends with a Faunus, but now...Blake seemed to be the only one even remotely willing to have Weiss around - and maybe even slightly happy to see her again.

Of course, that made sense because Weiss had never abandoned Blake's little sister.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she decided that she probably wasn't going to get any sleep tonight after all. Rolling onto her side, she pulled out her scroll and started making a list of everything she needed to do, could do, should do, and would do.

First, new clothes.

Second, call an electrician for the broken lights.

Third, find some excuse to see Ruby again, and find the courage to actually go through with it.

Fourth...she really didn't know. Everything very much hinged upon the third item on the list.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, chapter 4 is here! Thank you for all of the support so far. After spending about a year working on this story, it's nice that it can finally see the light of day :D**

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"Yang!" she shouted to nowhere in particular. "Have you seen my boots?"

Sticking her head back inside the hall closet, she began picking up random shoes and tossing them behind her in search of her missing boot. She already had one in her hand, but the other one was nowhere to be found - which made sense because there were always so many friggin' shoes in here! And they weren't hers. Or Blake's.

This was just great. Now she was going to be late. Blake had said five minutes and it had _definitely_ been more than five minutes already. It would be fine if Blake was like Yang and always late, but nope. Blake was a _pretty_ precise person. Five minutes meant five minutes which meant Ruby was late.

How could one person have so many shoes? What could the purpose possibly be? One for every day of the month? Or year?

"YANG!" she shouted again after giving up a second time.

"WHAT!"

The word was yelled directly in her ear from behind, making her nearly jump out of her socks in surprise. Standing up and spinning around, she glared into Yang's pleased grinning face while rubbing her (mostly likely ruptured) eardrum with her free hand.

"Have you seen my left boot?" she asked impatiently, holding the right one up to show her sister. Not like she needed to - Yang should know exactly which boots Ruby was talking about. They were her _only_ pair, after all. Unlike someone else she knew...who'd apparently robbed a shoe store recently. Although why Blake would help Yang rob a shoe store, Ruby had no idea...

"Uh...you mean that one over there?"

Looking in the direction Yang pointed in, Ruby groaned out loud. _Of course_ it was hiding under the hallway chair separated from its partner. Which was totally _not_ where she'd put it last...but maybe it had been and she just didn't remember. Or _maybe_ someone had moved it to make room for all their stupid shoes instead.

Scrambling over to grab it, Ruby shoved her foot inside before hustling towards the backyard.

"You have too many shoes," she shot at Yang on her way out. Yang's only response was to chuckle and start shoving shoes back into the closet with one foot, not caring that it was creating an even bigger mess than before.

The hall closet, which should _really_ be called the shoe closet given how many pairs were stuffed inside, was something they'd already had an argument about before. It had ended with some sort of explanation about 'fashion,' but that little word had made Ruby tune out the rest of the conversation so fast she might as well have completely lost her hearing for a few minutes.

End result - she had no idea what had come of the conversation other than that the shoes were still there creating a huge mess. And that apparently 'fashion' meant owning a whole bunch of crap that was hardly used - and that crap took up so much space they needed an entire closet to house it all.

Hopping on one foot through the hallway to the back door, she used both hands to yank her other boot on straight before stomping both feet to make sure they were ready. Satisfied that they weren't coming off anytime soon, she grabbed Crescent Rose from the table, pushed open the screen door and hopped onto their small back porch.

Just like she'd thought...she was late. Blake was already waiting in the middle of the yard, Gambol Shroud hanging across her back while the slight evening wind blew the weapon's ribbons gently to the side.

"Ready!" Ruby exclaimed while jumping off the single step of the back porch to the grass below. But before her feet had touched the ground, a flash of black slammed behind her knees and sent her crashing to the grass. She let out a loud 'eep!' of surprise as she tumbled onto the dirt before finding herself looking up into amused amber eyes with the black metal of Gambol held close, but not too close, to her throat.

"Don't say 'ready' until you're actually 'ready,'" Blake told her with a satisfied smirk before pulling the weapon away and taking a step back.

"Jeez, can't catch a break with you two today..." Ruby grumbled, pushing herself to her feet and dusting off several blades of grass. Picking up Crescent Rose, she unfolded the weapon and assumed her defensive stance.

"Ok," she said firmly. "Ready."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked, eyes twinkling in anticipation while Ruby rolled her eyes at the question.

" _Yes_ , this time I'm actually - eep!"

Maybe she hadn't been _completely_ ready, but luckily she reacted fast enough to get Crescent Rose in a position to block Blake's sudden flurry of attacks. Unfortunately, her continued lack of _actual_ readiness caused her to back up several paces and concede valuable ground in their medium-sized yard.

There were two wooden fences separating their yard from the neighbors on either side - one behind Ruby and one behind Blake. Besides the back of the house, the last 'wall' in their square yard was made up of a large, open wooded area. Ruby had learned pretty fast that while the trees _seemed_ like they'd be good obstacles to add to any fight, the woods were in fact the _last_ place she wanted to be. As in, the _very last place_. Do _not_ let the fight go into the woods, _ever_.

Twirling her weapon in her hands, she blocked several more of Blake's attacks while searching for an opportunity to launch a counteroffensive. But first, she needed some separation. Immediately after feeling the next jolt of Gambol striking the edge of Crescent Rose, she activated her semblance and burst away from the house towards more open space.

At least she _tried_ to burst in that direction, but a ribbon reached out and snatched her ankle - throwing her to the ground face first. As soon as her chin hit dirt, she kicked her feet to roll to the right while a surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins. The sound of metal clanging off the ground confirmed her instincts as she clambered to her feet and got her weapon in front of her as quickly as possible.

She almost wasn't ready - resulting in the incoming blow knocking her back a step in order to absorb the power put behind it. She was a little more prepared for the next one, but it still forced her back a half step before she was able to hold her ground. Still playing defense...but at least she wasn't giving up any more ground.

Using her semblance to try to slip away again would be risky at the speed Blake was currently attacking. Like Ruby had just learned, her margin of error was narrow for escaping unscathed. Whenever she blocked one incoming blow, there was always another a millisecond behind it - or a shadow clone blowing past her that she would mistakenly twist around to react to, losing valuable time to react to the real attack.

Yang and Blake had both repeatedly instructed Ruby to identify her enemy's strengths and weaknesses within the first few seconds of a battle and use that information to find points of attack. It had seemed like such pointless advice at the time - how was she supposed to figure out someone's weaknesses in just a few seconds? - but it actually came more naturally to her than she'd thought it would. Somehow she knew things about Blake's style without really knowing them, if that made sense. Like, Blake was extremely smart and calculating. Her attacks were deadly accurate, like an assassin, but she'd only attack furiously if given an edge and could only keep up a fast pace for a limited time.

Seeing how this practice had started, Blake definitely had the upper hand - which meant that she was looking to deal the death blow immediately. If the opportunity didn't present itself quickly enough, she would retreat and regroup. In the meantime, Ruby just needed to hold on.

Much easier said than done, especially when Blake's attacks were flying at her so fast she barely had time to deflect one before the next one was on its way. And then the shadow clones - oh sweet shadow clones - they were making Ruby's life miserable right now. Fighting _one_ person was difficult, but the clones made it feel like Blake was attacking from six different directions at once. _Six_ different directions. At one time. Ruby could hardly even _think_ six different thoughts at one time!

The clones were amazing and Ruby thought that they were just about the coolest things ever…but she only thought they were super cool when they _weren't_ making her twist and spin and nearly trip herself in confusion.

That was such a lie. They were _still_ super cool even if they were extremely disorienting.

But their inclusion in battle meant that Ruby needed to be extra aware and always, _always_ on her toes.

Left, right, up, behind - shuffle, repeat.

The clang of metal meeting metal found a rhythm in the air as she spun in every direction to protect herself from the onslaught - sometimes jumping backwards to give herself breathing room, only to find that Blake had already flipped behind her.

Somehow Blake was always one step ahead, but Ruby had to hold out. That's all she had to do. There wasn't a break in Blake's armor, so she had to hold out and tire her opponent out. Wait until there was a fraction of a second more between each blow - that's when Ruby would be able to find some sort of opening...hopefully.

This was the exact _opposite_ strategy of what she used with Yang - who would attack, attack, attack and absorb blows like a freaking tank. Yang only needed to land one good hit to end the battle with a knockout. And good luck trying to tire her out.

Blake would tire. Hopefully before making Ruby eat grass again.

Or…

Blocking several more attacks, oxygen was abruptly forced from her lungs when what she'd thought was a clone had actually been a very real set of boots planting into her ribs. Staggering momentarily from the impact, she somehow managed to locate Blake behind her and react to the next strike in the nick of time. There was a smirk on Blake's lips now, like she was really pleased with what she'd just done - knocking most of the wind from Ruby's lungs.

Ruby wasn't gonna lie - that had sucked a lot. Oxygen was kind of important to being able to function and now her breathing was nothing more than a wheeze for air while trying to keep up with the whirlwind surrounding her.

No wonder Blake was pleased. Ruby would be pretty pleased too if she could _ever_ get close enough to the _real_ Blake!

Crashing their weapons together, Ruby quickly jumped and slammed her own heels down on Crescent Rose. Springing off and somersaulting backwards, the force was enough to temporarily shove Blake a few feet away, but unfortunately not much more than that before a clone again appeared behind Ruby's right ear and caused her to stumble in surprise.

Dang. She could _not_ catch a break today.

But...maybe Blake's confidence could be used against her. Not that Blake was overly confident or cocky, but she was clearly in charge of this fight and on the cusp of winning. If Ruby presented an opening, Blake would probably take it. The bait just needed to be convincing enough...and Ruby needed to be ready to get out of the way before getting absolutely destroyed.

No problem - all she needed to do was put herself in a super precarious position that _looked_ precarious enough that Blake _believed_ it was precarious. And Ruby had just the idea!

Taking a large step backwards, she pretended to stumble over an invisible hole in the yard. It was convincing because, unfortunately, she was rather clumsy on a good day. And it was precarious because, while she pretended to trip herself, she allowed Crescent Rose to dip ever so slightly. Not _too_ much, but enough to project a briefly lowered guard.

This presented an opening in her defense and Blake immediately took it - lunging forward in a flurry of clones. With Crescent Rose out of position, Gambol Shroud whizzed past Ruby's ear as she burst to one side to dodge the attacks. Again a ribbon caught her ankle, but this time she used the sudden loss of balance to propel herself into a controlled tumble and regained her feet instantly.

Blake had already tracked Ruby and was rushing to pursue, but that small moment was enough of a break to disturb the rhythm of the battle. Swinging Crescent Rose blindly when she rolled up to her feet, Ruby forced Blake to deflect the scythe upwards. Sensing an opening, Ruby pulled upon her semblance for her follow up - bringing the weapon quickly downward before Blake had time to counterattack. The instant Ruby felt another clang reverberate through her arms, she was swinging up again - using an ever flowing motion that allowed her to swing continuously without ever having to withdraw and attack again.

Always in motion - a blocked upswing became another attack on the downswing.

Crescent Rose sang through the air - a sound Ruby absolutely loved. Weapons were special in that way. Each had a unique call, with Crescent Rose being different from Gambol, being different from any of the other weapons they had laying around. Even in the heat of battle, she could hear the difference as clearly as if they were different people speaking.

Gambol might have been doing most of the talking at the beginning of this battle, but now it was Crescent Rose's time to get a few words in.

Firmly on the offensive, Ruby knew that now she needed to knock Blake off balance. Which was going to be hard to do because one, in case no one had noticed, Blake was a _cat_ Faunus - as in, the tiny, super agile creatures with incredibly good balance? And two, Blake was _exceptional_ at blocking. She'd actually been teaching Ruby several really cool techniques to manage blocking and efficiency, but there was still so much Ruby needed to learn!

Picking up the speed of her attacks, Ruby could see the petals swirling in the air around them, but somehow Blake seemed to know what Ruby was going to do before she'd even done it. Dozens of blows were easily deflected while Ruby tried to swarm her opponent, leaving Ruby with nothing to show for her efforts except for slightly reduced stamina and strength.

Unlike Blake, Ruby didn't have awesome shadow clones that she could use, but she _could_ use her semblance to leap from one side to the other as fast as possible. Rose petals filled the air with each dash while she searched and searched for an opportunity to attack. But each time Blake reacted to her perfectly - Gambol already in place to thwart Ruby's attempt.

Block, block - blockblockblockblock.

Blake was too good at defense for Ruby to crack, but if she could keep up the pace, eventually…

Sensing an opening - a small, small window - Ruby bit on it immediately, realizing too late that Blake had just baited Ruby the same way she'd baited Blake earlier. It wasn't actually an opening. It was a _pretend_ opening.

And Ruby must have projected her intent to attack because Blake was already gone - easily catapulting over Ruby's head without so much as a running start. Swiveling her head to track Blake's movement, Ruby deflected a rapid barrage of bullets that pelted down on her before two boots planted on her chest and sprang down.

The crushing force sent her stumbling backwards, completely off balance. Her eyes dropped to the ground for the briefest of seconds in order to get her feet back underneath herself, but by the time she looked up she found herself staring into nothing but forest - with Blake nowhere to be seen.

"Crap…" Ruby muttered under her breath while creeping towards the treeline. She'd just made a really, _really_ stupid mistake by allowing their fight to get so close to the edge of the woods. The early twists and turns had disoriented her enough that she'd lost track of their position in relation to the house. Now she realized that Blake had been leading them this direction the entire time without Ruby ever catching on until too late.

There was clever...and then there was the extra tricky version of clever that Blake brought to the table - the invisible table that she'd just tricked Ruby into trying to sit down at.

Stifling the urge to chop all of the trees down (she'd been expressly forbidden from doing that), Ruby stuck one toe into the darkness as if testing the temperature. Nothing immediately pounced on her, which was good, but she still didn't want to go any further into the woods.

Unfortunately, it had been established as a rule some time ago that she couldn't just wait by the house for Blake to re-emerge. That would be an automatic forfeit _and_ Ruby would have to do the dishes for the next _two weeks_. So no, waiting Blake out wasn't an option. In order for the fight to continue, Ruby would have to pursue the Faunus into the woods.

It was basically as dumb as following a shark into water when you couldn't swim. And the shark was really hungry. And was also invisible. Plus armed with a sword and bullets.

It was just...really, _really_ not smart.

Suppressing a groan, Ruby took a few more hesitant steps forward until she was firmly covered by trees on all sides. Her eyes took a long time to adjust to the dim light - a period during which she was expecting to be attacked at any second. But when her sucky low-light vision finally caught on and nothing had happened, she figured that Blake must have been allowing Ruby to fully prepare for battle on this new and really awful terrain.

How kind - don't attack the poor blind girl the instant she walked into the trees...just wait until she's a bundle of anxious nerves and _then_ attack. That _probably won't_ give her a heart attack...

Head swiveling expectantly, she snuck onward, trying to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible in order to listen for sounds of her opponent. A flash of movement on her left caught her attention - without thinking, she spun towards it and fired. The crack of a sniper rifle echoed loudly in the quiet area while a large leaf slowly floated to the ground - a perfect circle blasted through the center.

"Ha, gotcha Mr. Leaf," she mumbled to herself before turning back to the trees.

All the speed in the world did nothing to help her if she couldn't _see_ her opponent. And finding Blake in a dim, shadowy area was about as easy as finding a specific snowflake during a blizzard.

The attack would eventually come. It was only a question of when, and from where?

Once upon a time, in a setting not quite as nerve-wracking as this, Blake had explained to Ruby that humans rely far too much on their vision. When sight was taken away from them, they acted far more lost than they ought to - especially when considering how strong the other senses could be. Vision wasn't everything and, in many cases, it could be deceiving - like Blake's clones.

Taking the pseudo-advice, Ruby focused on using her other senses to find what she couldn't see. Starting with her ears, she spun slowly in the circle while listening to leaves rustling in all directions, with the faint evening calls of crickets far away from their fight.

Well...it might be great advice when fighting someone like Yang, whose footsteps sounded like giant meteors plummeting into the ground, but this was Blake. Ruby was pretty sure that Blake couldn't hear her _own_ footsteps, so there was no way someone like Ruby would ever be able to hear her.

So...what? Smell?

Sniffing the air lightly, Ruby couldn't pick out anything but grass, trees, and her own sweat. That was...not helpful.

At a loss, she stood perfectly still underneath the tree canopy and tried to figure out what to do next. Blake could be right above Ruby's head or standing on the branch right next to her and she would have no idea. Or maybe Blake had gone back to the house to make a tuna sandwich and left Ruby out here by herself.

Ugh...

This was Ruby's weakness - being blind as a bat with zero sense of smell and hardly any hearing when a blessed thing called 'sunlight' was taken away from her. Unfortunately, these played right into Blake's greatest advantage - the ability to disappear. To hide, sneak, and attack the unsuspecting with deadly precision.

Sighing softly, Ruby closed her eyes and waited for the end of the battle to reach her. Hopefully this time Blake wouldn't completely smash her off of her feet...

That's when she felt it.

It wasn't that she heard something, saw something, or even smelled something, but she _felt_ something. It was a tingle of realization - maybe something as small as a breath of wind blowing against the tiny hairs along her arm. But in that microsecond she knew exactly where Blake was. She could practically _see_ Blake - flying directly at her back.

Before the blow could arrive, Ruby capitalized on Blake's mistake. Whirling around with Crescent Rose in the lead, she caught Gambol by surprise and Blake twirled off to the side to avoid colliding with Ruby without a weapon prepared. Re-engaged in battle, Ruby's semblance blasted her out of the trees to the relative safety of the yard with Blake trailing close behind.

Ruby could feel the pursuit and knew that if she could surprise Blake again, she could gain an advantage. On instinct, before Blake would think an attack was coming, Ruby slammed the end of Crescent Rose into the ground while her semblance was still powering her forward at full speed. Gripping the handle tightly without letting up, the speed began to rip her around in the tight circle to propel her straight back into her opponent's face.

But the unpracticed maneuver placed an unexpectedly heavy strain on her hands - forcing them to try to hold onto Crescent Rose's grip while her momentum tried to tear her away. The fingers on her left hand were weakening under the demand and her right didn't feel strong enough to compensate for the excessive force.

Too late she realized that she wasn't strong enough to execute this move.

What had begun as a sound battle strategy ended with the power of the swing tearing her away from the weapon when her grip failed her. The next few seconds were filled with dizzying flashes of house, dirt, forest, sky while she went tumbling across the yard. As soon as she came to a stop, she found herself looking down the long, shimmering steel of Gambol Shroud pressed to her neck.

As soon as their eyes met, Blake withdrew Gambol, placed her weapon on her back, and reached down to pull Ruby to her feet. Groaning slightly at the bumps and bruises she'd accumulated over the course of the past few seconds, she carelessly brushed at some of the dirt and grass that had collected on her clothes before limping over to collect Crescent Rose - who was still sticking in the ground.

"Your hand?" Blake asked, following Ruby to the weapon.

"Yeahhh...kinda failed me there," she replied, holding up her left palm so Blake could see that she was ok. Dropping her hand, Ruby wrapped her fingers around Crescent Rose and yanked the weapon from the ground in one strong tug.

The defeat stung her with frustration. Not because she'd lost - she lost to Blake all the time - but because of all the rehab she'd done and her dumb hand _still_ wouldn't get back to full health. If a _normal_ person had done all of the finger and hand exercises she'd done over the past few months, their hands would be stronger than steel. But in her case, she couldn't seem to get any better than this. And if she couldn't get any better than this, then she'd never be able to beat Blake. And if she could never beat Blake, then she'd never get to be a huntress again.

"My hands get sore sometimes too," Blake offered in an attempt to cheer Ruby up, holding up one hand so Ruby could see the red callouses there. "Especially if I use Gambol for too long."

The response was intentionally off target - this was something Ruby had noticed Blake would do to draw attention away from what was truly the issue. It was a subtle reminder of other conversations they'd had - that Ruby was still getting better, that there were still obstacles to be overcome. These setbacks were only temporary. Only temporary. But sometimes it felt like _everything_ in Ruby's life was temporary right now. And if everything was temporary, what was permanent?

Brushing off the feeling, Ruby gave Blake a grateful smile instead.

"I could probably fix that for you!" she offered. Ever since she'd laid eyes upon the blade, she'd been practically drooling at the idea of seeing how it worked. But Blake possessively reached a hand up to touch Gambol, running the ribbon through her fingers.

"We all have things that are important to us," Blake responded, her amber eyes flashing quickly to the chain around Ruby's neck and away. It was enough to make Ruby reach up and grab it, feeling its weight in her fingers and understanding exactly what Blake meant. Sometimes things were important in ways that were hard to describe, and it made them difficult to give up to other people.

"But if you ever wanted to make a change, I could help you...I dunno...make a new grip or something. Something more cushy, maybe?"

Blake's eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a few seconds before widening.

"A new grip - Ruby! That's a great idea!"

"Yeah?" Ruby hopped once in excitement. "You want to do it?"

Immediately shaking her head, Blake said, "No, no. Not for Gambol - for _you_ , Ruby. You should create your own grip!"

"Huh? But I have one -" Reaching down, Ruby touched the custom grips she'd created and then re-created for Crescent Rose.

"Not like those," Blake explained. "But couldn't you make something that would help you hold onto Crescent Rose better? Like Yang's arm only...not so extensive. More like a glove?"

When Ruby looked from Crescent Rose to her hand and back again, the sparks of an idea began to fly. A mechanized glove. It would have far greater strength than...well, than a normal hand, really. If she could get it to work properly, it would react to her own hand movements perfectly. It could override the scar running across her wrist, where the ligament damage was too severe to ever be 100% healed. It...could totally work.

Nodding enthusiastically, a big smile lit her lips.

"I could. I definitely could!" she said, her mind drawing the up plans now. "It could have reinforced fingers so that my hand would be stronger than it actually is! And maybe some sort of weapon tucked into it that I could use if Crescent Rose ever got taken from me…make it Dust powered too. That'd be cool..."

"Maybe you should just work on the glove part first," Blake said with a small laugh. "Then you could add to it."

"Yeah, good call..." Ruby replied, tapping her fingers against Crescent Rose while staring at the palm of her bad hand. A glove that reacted when she told it to. Made of reinforced metal that could lock into place. Theoretically, it could be _way_ better than a regular hand...

"How did you know where I was, by the way?"

"Huh?" Completely distracted, Ruby looked up in confusion.

"Earlier," Blake pointed back to the trees lining their yard. "You reacted without knowing where I was."

"Oh, I don't know! It's hard to explain - I just...felt it. Somehow I knew where you were." Wrinkling her nose, Ruby shrugged her shoulders when she couldn't come up with a better explanation than that. Now that she wasn't in the middle of battle she couldn't remember _exactly_ how it had felt. "Maybe it was just dumb luck though."

Shaking her head, Blake seemed to disagree with that statement.

"Your instincts are really good. Make sure to listen to them."

The compliment made Ruby grin from ear to ear - Blake didn't hand them out very often, after all. Of course, Ruby wished that she was being complimented on something that could be easily reproduced instead of something that she had _no_ idea how she'd done in the first place, but beggars couldn't be choosers!

"And one other thing," Blake added. "Remember to focus - try your best to focus on one thing at a time. Even if you're only spending a millisecond of time on it, focus so you don't get distracted."

Nodding her head, Ruby repeated the advice to herself. Focus. Blake emphasized focus _a lot_. The problem Ruby had with focusing was that, in the middle of a fight, there was _so much_ to focus on. There were moments when she could tell that she'd gotten distracted, but hopefully maintaining her focus would become easier with more practice.

"I'll try to do that. And thanks for sparring with me!" she replied before allowing her mind to wander again.

Fighting against Blake was a great opportunity for Ruby to practice at full speed, but in a safe setting. It was Ruby's opportunity to put her hours of training to the test and see what would happen - try out the moves she'd practiced thousands and thousands of times on her own. Sparring together had also led to them becoming close friends - so close that Ruby knew that she could always count on Blake for good advice, and advice that wasn't tinted with the protective older sister vibe.

It hadn't always been this way though. There'd been a period of time when Ruby hadn't exactly been sure of how to talk to Blake. They'd been introduced under pretty...weird...circumstances and then thrown into the same house together. The temporary awkwardness had completely changed over time, especially after Ruby had learned who Blake really was, and now they were closer than ever.

And it was nice to have a friend!

Speaking of friends...

"Hey, Blake?" Ruby asked while they walked back towards the house, her own feet dragging slightly. There'd been a curious thought gnawing at the back of her mind since last night and if she could ask anyone about it, it would be Blake. "The girl from last night - Weiss - how does Yang know her?"

Blake stopped walking and turned towards Ruby, looking thoughtful while responding.

"They were friends awhile back."

"Like from school?" Ruby asked, to which Blake nodded.

"They used to be really close, but then...let's just say Weiss made some decisions Yang didn't agree with."

"Oh…" Ruby thought about that for a moment, wondering what kind of decisions Blake could be referring to. When Yang was really set on something, she could get pretty upset if someone went against her.

"But you know how well Yang can hold a grudge," Blake added with a reassuring smile. "And it looks like Weiss wants to make amends, so maybe she'll be over here more often."

"Really?"

"I hope so." Blake shrugged her shoulders before giving Ruby a contemplative expression. "You two would probably get along really well, actually."

"You think?"

"I do. What do you think? Want to make a new friend?"

With Blake's encouraging smile, Ruby couldn't help but grin.

"Sure! That'd be awesome!"

It might be nice to have a friend outside of Blake and Yang. Although...

"Won't it be weird though? Because she's Yang's friend?"

"Why would that be weird? Yang and I have lots of friends in common. Didn't you two have mutual friends in school too?"

Turning away from Blake's questioning eyes, Ruby drew one toe across the ground. She hadn't really had friends in school because everyone had thought she was 'weird.' Since when was liking to build weapons weird? It wasn't weird - it was awesome. That's why she'd begged Uncle Qrow to teach her everything he knew.

"Um...no, not really," she answered instead of getting into that whole story. "Yang kinda did her own thing and I did mine."

"Well...there's nothing wrong with sharing friends," Blake reassured Ruby. "If anything, it would probably be good for Weiss to have another excuse to come over. That way Yang won't feel like Weiss is always trying to bother her, you know?"

"Then you'll be Weiss' friend too?"

"I'm going to try," Blake answered with a nod that made Ruby break into another smile. "It's going to be much easier for you though. Because then I can run interference with Yang."

This time Ruby beamed. It was like their own secret mission to get Yang and Weiss to become friends again! It sounded like it could work _and_ be a good idea. Ruby could test out her new and improved social skills while attempting to make a new friend. And she could help Weiss get back in Yang's good graces! Then everyone would be happy, which was really what she wanted in the end.

"Oh!" she exclaimed when she remembered something _kind of_ important. "But do you think I should tell her? About...you know -" She tapped the side of her head a couple of times.

Was that something that she should bring up right away? Or more of a secret type deal that she should explain only if they became better friends? This was all assuming that Weiss even _wanted_ to be friends, of course.

"That's up to you," Blake replied. "If you want to tell her you can, but don't feel like you have to. It's your story to tell."

"Yeah...I just - I don't know if that's something people normally bring up! I guess it's not something that normally _happens_ to people either..."

"I think you'll know when it's the right moment. Besides, Weiss will understand no matter when you tell her."

Something about the comment struck Ruby as strange, so she tilted her head curiously.

"How do you know? Do you know Weiss too?"

At first blinking, Blake immediately backtracked. "Oh I mean, Yang has told me enough about her that I feel like I know her, but I was just saying that I think _most_ people would be understanding of what you've gone through."

Nodding her head at the response, Ruby still bit her lip with nerves.

"I hope so…"

The last thing she wanted was to have something else that made _more_ people think she was weird. She had enough of those things to begin with!

A warm hand landed reassuringly on her shoulder, making her look over into caring eyes.

"Don't worry, Ruby. This isn't going to hold you back anymore. And if you want, I could tell her for you."

Blake and Ruby were friends, but a lot of times it felt more like they were sisters. Maybe because Blake was the same age as Yang, or that Blake was dating Yang, or that Blake always seemed to be looking out for Ruby's best interests. Whatever it was, Ruby appreciated it a ton.

"I can do it," she said with a thankful smile. "I'll just...wait and see when."

If she was ever going to get back on her feet, she needed to start doing things on her own and stop relying on Blake and Yang to do everything for her.

"Ok. In the meantime, have fun getting to know each other. Likes, dislikes, you know the drill."

Ruby nodded like she _did_ 'know the drill,' but honestly she had such little experience making friends that it made her nervous thinking that there might be a drill to follow. But Blake's reassurance still made her feel a lot better. She could try to be Weiss' friend and in the process, maybe help Weiss and Yang be friends again. What's the worst that could happen? Weiss hates Ruby and then Yang and Weiss are never friends again?

Eh, that didn't exactly sound _great_ , but at least no one would die! No one would die, right?

"Thanks, Blake," she finally said, reaching over to give Blake a quick hug. "I'm lucky to have you and Yang around to look out for me!"

"Funny...I consider myself to be the lucky one," Blake replied with a small smile.

"Blake! Is my sister still alive?" Yang called out of the house before appearing on the porch seconds later and grinning towards Ruby. "Oh good. You're still here."

"Heyyyy," she whined, pouting while folding up Crescent Rose. "You could have a _little_ faith, ya know!"

"Sorry, Ruby - gotta play the odds. Blake's hard for _me_ to beat. And if you let her get in those trees…" Yang let out a fake shiver of horror while Ruby scoffed.

"Jeez, Yang. Like I'd be dumb enough to let her get to the trees," she replied, giving Blake a look that begged her not to tell Yang what had just happened. "That's like...'Fighting Blake 101.'"

Keeping quiet, Blake gave Ruby an amused smile before accepting the kiss Yang placed on her cheek.

"How about we go a few rounds tomorrow night, huh?" Yang asked, swinging a few punches in between them while Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

This was one of the best parts of having Blake and Yang back from their hunt - Ruby got to put her training to the test. They'd practice with her as often as she wanted, as long as they felt good enough to do so.

Normally she'd alternate between them - getting experience with two super different fighting styles. With Blake, Ruby got to try out her semblance and weapon skills - fighting in an agile and fast paced way that seemed to come naturally to her. Yang's style of fighting was much more...stand there and let everything hit her, then explode like a bomb and destroy everything in the vicinity. As great as that was, Ruby could only take being leveled by a wrecking ball so many times before she risked some more serious, permanent damage. So these days she mostly worked with Yang on hand-to-hand combat, but it was strictly no semblances allowed.

If Ruby was ever going to become a huntress again, she needed to practice against the real deals - and Yang and Blake were some of the best she could possibly hope to find.

Things were changing - she could feel it. For the first time, real opportunity was within reach. With the possibility of making her own grip to fix her hand, and maybe even making a friend at the same time, it felt like the work she'd been putting in was finally paying off.

Most of the last year she'd spent recovering. 'Just worry about getting healthy,' Yang had told Ruby so many times it might as well be their new family motto. 'Then you can worry about everything else.' It was good advice...what with all the rehab and doctor's appointments she'd had to go to. The last thing she'd needed to worry about was training and making friends at the same time.

But for the past couple months she could finally say that she felt normal - whatever normal really was. She'd regained much of her strength, minus her pesky hand. Her next doctor's appointment was only a check-in and it was several months from now. She'd been cleared for any and all activity she felt capable of. She was healthy. And ready for more challenges and maybe some new adventures.

She was going to be a huntress. She was determined to work tirelessly until that goal became a reality.

"Let's get inside before it gets cold," Yang suggested, linking one arm with Blake and pulling her towards the house. "How about a movie?"

"That sounds nice...and I think it's Ruby's pick -" Blake remarked, turning around to smile at Ruby. Grinning, Ruby jogged to catch up with the pair.

"It _is_ my turn!" she announced joyfully. "And just wait until you see what I have in mind!"

Yang groaned loudly. "Nevermind - I don't want to watch a movie anymore!" she joked before disappearing into the house with Blake.

The reply made Ruby giggle again - knowing that Yang would _have_ to watch whatever Ruby picked because that was the rule! They all took turns picking a movie to watch, and there were no complaints. Actually there were _always_ complaints, but in the end there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Hopping up onto the porch, she turned back to the yard one last time and surveyed the tracks worn into the grass from the latest battle. Briefly closing her eyes when a cool breeze blew across her, she opened them again with a smile.

"Just wait," she whispered. "Next time I'll be even better."

Clenching her left hand into a fist, she ran inside and locked the back door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to this very long saga. I hope everyone's been enjoying the story so far. We have a long way to go, but together we'll make it there!**

 **Also, I'd like to send a quick 'thank you' to my new beta reader - Jaye! Who's been extremely helpful so far with this story - saving me time that I can spend working on future projects. Thank you so much!**

* * *

How had she ever summoned the courage to come back to Vale?

The question seemed to have little in the way of a plausible answer. Every single thing about the city set her on edge. Memories seeped from every corner in the form of sights, smells, and sounds. Simply moving around the streets she found it difficult to keep the assault on her senses from completely fraying her nerves.

That initial surge of fearlessness - which had brought her back to this place - had long since abandoned her, leaving her with hours of uncertainty as to what she should do next. Half of her wanted to disappear - to head back to Atlas or maybe somewhere else entirely and fade into the background. Whether she continued to work for her family's company or set out on her own path, maybe this escapade would finally allow her to close the book once and for all on the story of Team RWBY.

But the other half of her, the half that seemed to own her heart, refused to let her leave just yet. Instead of agreeing that she'd accomplished all that she'd come here to do, it was stubbornly digging in its heels and forcing her to sit in doubt.

Ruby's image kept filling her mind - those same silver eyes that sparkled with some hidden source of joy, that same smile that was never far from the surface. Spending dinner with Ruby had been so real. For someone who'd spent the past year living off of memories and old photographs, the real version of Ruby had shown Weiss how very little of a person's essence could be captured by mind and memory.

Could she go back to living on memories now that she knew? Would her memories ever be adequate enough again?

Had they ever been?

If she left right now, if she boarded the next flight back to Atlas, Ruby would never even wonder where she'd gone. Their dinner together - the last memory Weiss might have to live on - would be nothing more than a tiny blip on Ruby's road to recovery.

But if she stayed...she had no idea what would happen. Could she leave without knowing the answer to that question?

Without an answer, she'd focused on her task list instead - first spending nearly an entire day accumulating outfits that would suffice in Vale's spring weather. She would begrudgingly admit that having a new closet filled with the current fashions went a long way in assuring her that she was, at the very least, nicely dressed.

Next had been the electrician, who'd had absolutely no luck in figuring out what was causing the lights in the upstairs living room to remain on around the clock. He'd left without solving the problem, but had been kind enough to provide contact information for more specialized engineers, who might be of help. Weiss had already put in a call to one of them, but there was really nothing more she could do on the matter until they were able to come out to the house.

There was a part of her - the same part that wanted her to leave Vale - that suggested she focus solely on fixing this problem before moving on. After all, who knew what was causing the malfunction? It could be a very serious defect that had the potential to affect the entire house. It could be a critical flaw that could potentially cause more problems if left alone to fester.

Or...it could be her attempt at avoiding the current reality of her situation. Logically, she understood that a set of broken lights wasn't serious, but she wanted to believe it was so as to avoid the sole remaining item on her list.

Ruby.

If Weiss was going to remain in Vale, shouldn't she attempt to see Ruby one more time? Shouldn't she make an effort to spend even just a few more minutes together?

If only it was as easy as that. If only Weiss could express a desire and then immediately see it through, but she couldn't simply show up out of the blue like she might have in the past. She couldn't just drop in on her teammates without an invitation...she needed a reason or excuse for her continued presence.

The more strategic and calculating side of her had already supplied an answer - which was as simple as returning to their home to express gratitude. It was a commonly held practice to provide a gift when shown exceptional hospitality. Showing up unannounced, out of the blue, and being treated to dinner would certainly fall under those terms.

Assuming that she did decide to pay her teammates another visit, she'd already thought of what that gift should be. Conveniently enough, she'd also made the trip downtown to a bakery she'd heard about while out on her shopping frenzy. Heard about or asked about, it was the same difference.

She wasn't placing any pressure on herself, but if she was going to bring them a gift, she might as well pick it up now so she'd have it handy. If she somehow found the courage, it would be far better to be prepared than to wish she'd been prepared.

Stepping inside the quaint little store, she was immediately greeted by sugar, jovial employees, and happy customers. From her conversations earlier in the day she'd learned that it was a relatively new shop, but the line that nearly reached the door made it evident that it was already quite popular.

The newness was a welcome relief after the somewhat abrasive familiarity that had filled the rest of her day. If she hadn't discovered this new store, her other option had been to stop by the small bakery she'd once frequented so often that she'd known all of the employees by name. After the incident at the house yesterday, it might be better not to test those waters again so soon.

Methodically taking in the sights, smells, and elated children running around inside, she was happy to find that the line moved quickly and pretty soon she found herself at the front - being immediately greeted by a young woman with short, dark brown hair and a lively smile.

"Hi! How can I help you?" she asked for what was likely the hundredth time that day.

"I'd like one dozen," Weiss answered while pointing to her selection in the case situated between them.

"You got it!" Setting about her task, the woman quickly counted out a dozen homemade cookies and lined them neatly within a bright pink box. They fitted perfectly inside in two rows of six before the lid was closed and a white, satin ribbon was tied around the outside in a perfect bow.

"Anything else?"

"No, thank you." Accepting the box and moving to the register, Weiss quickly paid and left the store behind with her newest acquisition in her hands.

Now that she had her theoretical 'gift,' she returned to her rented car and got inside with a sigh of exhaustion. There was little doubt that she was tired - although she'd been more tired than usual for a long time now - but she felt a small amount of satisfaction with what she'd been able to accomplish in the past day and a half. New clothes, electrician, cookies…

As the baked goods added their sugary aroma to the air, Weiss inhaled a touch of nostalgia that made her turn to the pink box with a thoughtful frown.

The bakery made each product fresh daily...meaning that these cookies had come out of the oven just that morning. If she held onto them for too long, they would definitely suffer in terms of quality. Really, they were growing staler by the second as she sat there and stared at them.

Tapping her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel, her brow furrowed while she considered her options now that she'd purchased a gift with an expiration date. The last thing she wanted to do was present a subpar gift...and freshness normally went hand-in-hand with excellent baked goods. Following that line of reasoning, it made perfect sense that she should drop off the cookies now before they grew even staler overnight.

Checking the time, she found that it was already after dinner. That meant that they'd be home, right?

If it was just a short visit, that wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. She could simply drop off the box as thanks and then take her leave. There would be no pressure to stay and have a conversation. It would be nothing more than a few minutes at the most. And she could handle a few minutes, couldn't she?

Starting up the vehicle and setting out on her newest quest, she continued to make rationalizations right up to the moment she was pulling to a stop in front of the small home that currently held her heart. The home was new and therefore unfamiliar, but her knowledge of the persons living inside set her nerves on edge.

A plain cement sidewalk cut through the square of grass that served as the lawn and ran right up to the front porch, where there was one step and a single porch light illuminating the yellow front door. Attached to the right side of the house was a single car garage, but it appeared as if they might favor leaving the vehicle in the drive versus parking it inside. A short fence on either side of the home blocked the backyard from view, while providing a bit of space between the neighbors next door.

It reminded Weiss very much of houses drawn by every young child before they actually understood how to draw. The slanted shingle roof, two windows - one on either side of the front door - and a single, medium sized tree out front.

It appeared to be comfortable, but maybe a little small for three people. And there seemed to be a relative lack of other Faunus in the area - something which made Weiss wonder how much Blake might consider this to be home.

Staring at the front door from the safety of the car, Weiss was much happier dissecting her teammates' new home than inching any closer to it. It wasn't that there was anything overtly intimidating about the house, but it made her heart pound in her chest just looking at it.

There was a very real possibility that she could sit here all night without ever coming to a decision. Or she could leave right now - she could always pick up a fresh box of cookies in the morning. And the next morning, and the next morning - there would be no harm in doing that other than wasted cookies.

Pulling out her scroll, she unlocked it and quickly found the picture Velvet had given her just a couple of days ago. Her heart instantly flipped in her chest when the image filled the screen.

It was Ruby - this new version of Ruby who had somehow maintained the essence of the original. But...this photo hardly did her true personality justice.

"You know you want to see her again..." Weiss muttered to herself, putting away her scroll and reaching over to pick up the package from the bakery. Grasping it tightly in her hands as if the cookies inside might somehow give her strength, she took a deep breath. "You might as well see what they're up to."

Placing her free hand on the door handle, she paused and sat back in the seat.

"But maybe they're not even home. Or they're busy."

The lights visible behind the window shades made the first worry an obvious excuse. And the second worry wasn't actually a worry - it might actually be preferable if they were busy because then she could drop off the gift and leave as quickly as humanly possible.

But what if -

Sighing out loud, she shook her head and gripped the door handle tightly. She was so tired of arguing with herself.

"Less thinking, more doing."

With that pep talk, she opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Of course, she immediately second guessed the decisions that had led her here, but it almost felt too late now. She'd already made it out of the car and she was already moving slowly up the path leading to the house. With each step her nerves set in just as badly as they had the first time - growing in intensity until it felt like she was trudging through quicksand towards the front door.

"I was out shopping and stumbled across this bakery," she mumbled under her breath while inching closer, forcing her feet to keep moving. "I thought I'd bring you a small gift...as thanks for your hospitality the other night."

Eventually making it to the front step, she took a deep breath and quietly repeated her excuse while summoning the courage to knock.

But what if Ruby answered the door?

There was no opportunity to consider that question before the deadbolt unlocked and the door swung inward - revealing a curious Faunus behind.

"Weiss! Didn't expect to see you here," Blake greeted her with a faint smile.

"I was - I was in the area and, well, I thought you'd like these," Weiss managed to get out, thrusting the small box into Blake's unsuspecting hands. "I know that...you like them…"

She also knew that they were Ruby's favorite.

Interested in the box, Blake lifted it to her nose and took a sniff to see what was inside rather than to untie the bow on top. After she did so, her expression inexplicably fell into one of apology.

"Oh, well thank you, Weiss," she said anyway, looking briefly hesitant before continuing in a softer tone. "But...you might want to know that she doesn't really like these anymore..."

The news felt like a punch to the gut, knocking the air from Weiss' lungs.

"Oh -"

"But I like them," Blake quickly added as reassurance. "And she could warm up to them. It's just that...Yang called them 'snakerdoodles' before she could try them and she didn't like them as much as she did before..."

Nodding at the hasty explanation, Weiss faked an understanding smile and said, "That's alright - as long as someone will enjoy them."

Was it alright though? Ruby had loved snickerdoodle cookies. The store had inexplicably run out of chocolate chip so they'd been forced into snickerdoodles or no cookies at all. But after Ruby had taken one bite, she'd demolished the rest of the package in under an hour and then asked for more. Their dorm room had constantly smelled like cinnamon and sugar from that day on.

And something so seemingly innocent had changed that? Weiss understood that the human mind was extremely delicate, especially when it came to perceptions, but was it really possible to sway a person's opinion so easily?

The thought filled her with alarm. What tiny observations had Ruby already made about Weiss that would completely change the way they interacted? What if Ruby had already come to the conclusion that she wanted nothing to do with Weiss?

A loud squeal from behind the house drew Weiss' thoughts away from the growing feeling of doom and gloom.

"What's going on?" she asked curiously. Smiling at the question, Blake gestured with her head for Weiss to follow her. Hesitantly doing so, when Weiss stepped through the door she took a moment to inspect her surroundings. During her first visit she'd hardly been able to keep her eyes off of Ruby long enough to see where she was walking, let alone look at the rest of the house.

The kitchen where they'd eaten dinner was to the left of the front door, the small dining room table nestled within. On the right was a utility door that must lead to the garage, plus a living room with a well-used sofa and oversized chair situated around a magazine-covered coffee table - from the looks of it, all of the magazines belonged to Yang. A bookcase in the corner had Blake's name written all over it and was stuffed to the brim with books, books, and more books.

Weiss' eyes sought out Ruby's mark on the room, but she couldn't find it in the short time she had while walking through with Blake. Beyond the living room was a single hallway that led straight through the house to the backyard. There were two doors in the hallway - one on either side - that had to lead into bedrooms. One of these doors would be Ruby's, but unfortunately both were closed - preventing Weiss from catching a glimpse into how Ruby currently lived.

Passing by the bedrooms, her breath suddenly caught in her throat when she saw Crescent Rose laying haphazardly on top of a table next to a screen door opening to the backyard. The weapon was folded up, recently cleaned, and looking like new. But as she stared she could remember the last time she'd touched it - tossing it behind her in order to kneel by Ruby's side -

"Weiss?"

The voice snapped Weiss away from the forest - away from the panic and pain that were building in her chest. Realizing that her breathing had sped up to something just short of frantic struggles for air, she turned to the side in order to avoid the concern emitting from Blake's eyes.

"Are you ok?"

When Blake took a step closer, Weiss shuffled to the side and shook off the tremor. Forcing a smile that felt weaker than normal, she turned back to meet Blake's watchful gaze.

"Yes. Sorry, I was just...remembering something."

Tilting her head to one side and casting a quick glance at Crescent Rose, Blake seemed to know that Weiss wasn't being forthcoming. Fortunately, more noises drew Blake's attention outside before a big deal could be made about the momentary overreaction.

Now that they were closer, Weiss could easily pick up Ruby's voice - a sound which immediately made her apprehensive. She could still turn away - she could still leave. All she needed to do was make an excuse and head back to the front door. She didn't have to see Ruby again.

But she wanted to. In a way, she needed to. Only a few steps were separating the two of them, only a few difficult steps and she could capture just a few more minutes of pure, living energy. Just a few more minutes and that might be enough to send her on her way…

Oblivious to Weiss' internal struggles, Blake paused by the screen door and turned back to Weiss with a more serious expression.

"If you could...please don't give Yang a hard time about the cookies. She already feels awful enough about it…"

At first taken aback by the request, Weiss quickly nodded her agreement - which Blake accepted with a grateful smile before pushing open the door and stepping onto the small wooden porch out back. Following Blake outside, the sight in front of them was so unfamiliar that Weiss' mind initially struggled to decipher exactly what she was looking at.

Yang had Ruby pinned to the grass and was tickling the poor girl mercilessly. Ruby had been the source of all the noise, squealing and laughing uncontrollably under her sister's grasp. She was squirming mightily, but any resistance was futile when it came to escaping Yang's hands.

"Yang! Stoppppp!" Ruby cried out between fits of laughter and gasps for air.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd moved - your - feet!" Yang replied, wiggling her fingers into Ruby's ribs and pulling out even more adorable squeals.

The mere sight of Ruby made Weiss' mouth dry out. It had been so long that Weiss had forgotten what it was like to be in Ruby's presence.

She was so alive and...so happy.

When Yang happened to glance towards the porch and found Weiss standing there, her grin instantly disappeared and she ceased the tickle assault on her younger sister. Freed from Yang's grasp, Ruby quickly scrambled to her feet and leapt a safe distance away. Her hair was a mess, with blades of grass sticking out in places. Her cheeks were heavily flushed and her breathing labored, but her silver eyes caught Weiss' not a second later.

"Oh, hey Weiss!" Ruby greeted her with a cute little wave.

Opening her mouth to say hello back, Weiss found her throat so parched that she was forced to swallow and give an awkward wave in response.

Seeing Ruby after all this time spent without her...it was like stepping in a dream. Every part of Weiss wanted to run over and kiss the girl. To tell her how much Weiss had missed her - how sorry Weiss was that she'd been gone for so long. To bury her face in Ruby's shoulder and have Ruby hold her again and reassure her that everything was going to be alright. To tell Weiss that she'd been forgiven.

But this wasn't the same Ruby. This Ruby wasn't racing over to lift Weiss' feet off the ground in a hug. This Ruby was glancing at Yang to see what her older sister was going to make of Weiss' reappearance tonight. And, from the look of it, Yang was trying to decide how she felt about that too.

When Weiss gently lifted her hands as if to plaintively say, 'I'm still here,' Yang set her jaw and turned away.

"Come on, Ruby - let's go again."

Ruby beamed at Weiss for no apparent reason other than to fill her stomach with butterflies before bouncing out to the middle of the lawn with fists raised like a fighter. Yang followed her sister at a much more leisurely pace before turning towards Ruby and finally raising her fists.

"You want to sit?"

Nodding, Weiss sat next to Blake on the edge of the porch, their knees bent and feet on the grass below. Even Blake's presence was making Weiss anxious and fidgety - the likely response from having spent so much time apart and leaving on such poor terms. But if Blake felt uncomfortable she was doing an excellent job of hiding it. Of course, hiding had always been Blake's specialty…

"Ready?" Yang asked Ruby. Immediately ceasing her bouncing, Ruby nodded her head firmly. With that signal, Yang began advancing on her little sister - taking small, calculated steps that Ruby matched much more tentatively.

Recognizing what was going on, Weiss' eyes locked onto Ruby in surprise. Throughout their time together at Beacon, they must have fought against each other thousands of times - learning from one another and teaching each other small moves and bits of strategy. All of that knowledge had combined to create a fearsome team, but there was one person they'd never prioritized individual fights against - Yang.

Maybe it was because it had been nearly impossible to beat Yang individually. Maybe it was because with Yang on their team it didn't make sense to try to duplicate her abilities. Or maybe the three of them had just been really horrible at hand-to-hand combat. Whatever the reason, they'd never delved too fully into learning Yang's skillset - so watching Ruby's eyes furrow in determination while Yang moved towards on her was absolutely fascinating.

And terrifying. Ruby was definitely fighting outside of her weight class right now.

As soon as she was close enough, Yang threw the first punch - not surprising because Yang always threw the first punch. What was surprising was the speed at which Ruby dodged and then counterattacked. A swift uppercut missed Yang, who had jerked her head back at the last second, but another hook followed right behind it.

Left hook, right hook, jab, jab - Ruby got in a solid combination of attacks before Yang managed to flip the tables by deflecting one of Ruby's arms downward and immediately bringing her fist in a cross towards Ruby's cheek. Somehow Ruby spun away in time, but Yang didn't allow her sister to move far enough away to prevent the attacks from flowing.

What made Yang so dangerous as a fighter was her stamina and exquisite combinations. She could throw blow after blow while hardly taking a breath. And when she got on a roll - like she was now - each subsequent attack built more power than the last, making it more and more difficult to block or deflect.

But Ruby was still very much in the battle - and not by physically stopping Yang's fists, but by dodging around them completely. It was a brilliant strategy that was made all the more impressive in its flawless execution. It also had the additional benefit of aggravating Yang - who was growing increasingly impatient as her fists continued to meet nothing but air.

Suddenly, Weiss realized that there was something noticeably lacking from the scene unfolding in front of her - something that should have been there but wasn't.

There were no rose petals.

Ruby wasn't using her semblance.

"On your toes!" Yang called out in the midst of throwing a rapid fire series of blows. The instruction instantly added more bounce to Ruby's little dance, as she dipped and dodged under her sister's fists.

It didn't look like Yang was holding back in her attacks - each punch and hook hurtling towards Ruby like the strike of a snake. If Yang actually managed to connect one of these blows, Ruby would be in a world of hurt. The thought made Weiss' heart pound while she watched, grimacing whenever it looked like Ruby wouldn't make it out of the way in time.

But Ruby's combination of speed and quickness seemed almost equal to Yang's pure power and experience. Every time Yang attacked, Ruby managed to squeeze out of the way just in time. However, Yang was too good of a defender to allow Ruby an opening to counterattack. If Ruby was searching for an opening, which she had to be, she was running out of time. For the entire length of the fight, Yang had been steadily pushing Ruby back towards the fence on the left side of the yard. Pretty soon Ruby wouldn't be able to back up to dodge her sister's blows - which would most likely spell the end of this match.

Even more unfortunately, Yang had fallen into her rhythm now - combinations of four spewing from her fists in an unrelenting siege that would only stop when the battle had been won.

It was the worst possible time to make a mistake, but Ruby did. Instead of dodging left, she dodged right - directly into an oncoming hook.

The fight should have been over, but instead, impossibly, Ruby found the time to duck the blow. Popping back up closer to Yang's shoulder, she threw one quick jab that was followed by an audible smack of contact. Immediately stepping back on her heels, Yang brought one hand up to her jaw.

"Oh my god! Yang!" Ruby also went flat-footed, dropping her fists and rushing to her sister's side. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think that would actually work!"

Moving her jaw around a couple times as if testing it for injury, Yang then gave Ruby a huge grin.

"That was really good!"

The compliment made Ruby hop up and down in excitement.

"Yeah? I didn't think it'd work, but I just went for it!"

"That was awesome - thought I had you too," Yang replied, wrapping one arm around Ruby's neck and rustling her hair lovingly. "You're getting too fast for me!"

"Wow," Weiss whispered from the porch, her heart still racing what would have been considered a miracle just a year ago. "Never thought Yang could convince her to brawl."

"It was Ruby's idea, actually." When Weiss looked over in surprise, Blake gently shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the two sisters who were now recreating specific sections of the fight in slow motion. "She wants to learn everything."

Turning back to Ruby, Weiss watched how intently silver eyes took in every little movement Yang was showing her, nodding every once and awhile before trying it out herself.

The sight was endearing and heart achingly familiar. It had been one of the traits Weiss had fallen in love with - Ruby's eagerness to try new things, her willingness to fail and fail and then fail again. Ruby had never known how to give up - no matter how impossible the task.

Knowing the severity of Ruby's injuries, knowing what the doctors and specialists had feared, knowing exactly where Ruby had started from just one short year ago - it was clear to Weiss that Ruby still didn't know how to give up. And look how far she'd come...look how strong and fast and capable she was.

A sigh of longing escaped Weiss then - the soft sound unfortunately not escaping Blake's notice. Amber eyes turned her way, but she made sure not to meet them. Instead, she watched with an increasing pulse as Ruby and Yang walked over to join them.

"That was great, Ruby." Blake's tone was one of genuine praise, which only made Ruby's grin widen.

"Couldn't have done it without great teaching!" Ruby quipped while elbowing her sister in the side.

"Yang is one of the best…" Weiss commented quietly, her words catching Yang's full attention and drawing vivid lilac eyes her way.

"Yeah? How about you and I go a round?" Yang gave Weiss a menacing smile to go along with the challenge. "I can teach you a thing or two."

Caught off guard by the veiled confrontation, Weiss opened her mouth but had no response prepared.

Maybe she was guilty of making some irrevocably stupid decisions in the past, but she certainly wasn't enough of an idiot to fight against Yang with no semblances. Even with semblances Weiss would never agree to such a challenge. She could imagine it now - her broken nose bleeding profusely while she was rushed to the hospital, Yang claiming the entire way how it had just been an unfortunate accident.

Thankfully, Weiss didn't have to respond to the dare at all.

"How about a round with me?" Blake asked, hopping off the porch to join Yang on the grass.

Eyes finally breaking away from Weiss, Yang grinned at her partner. "You know I'd love to, but...in front of the kids?"

When Blake punched Yang in the shoulder, Weiss stifled the urge to roll her eyes. The next moment a pang of jealousy ran through her when she noticed the smile Blake and Yang were now sharing. It was one of those instances where Weiss knew that they were only seeing each other - two hearts sharing a connection that transcended the space between them.

They were lucky. Through everything, they'd always had each other. And nothing would ever change that.

She used to be so lucky.

Her thoughts abruptly faded away when Ruby skipped over and nonchalantly sat down on the vacant porch step beside her. It was most likely a thoughtless gesture, but it felt like it set Weiss' skin aflame. Even though Ruby was sitting a good six inches away, Weiss could suddenly feel every separate particle of air between them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that Ruby wasn't looking at her, but was instead watching Blake and Yang preparing for their fight. Attempting to do the same, Weiss failed to focus as her eyes shifted every few seconds to Ruby. Weiss was close enough that she could hear Ruby's breathing - fast and deep from the fight with Yang, but quickly slowing to a more normal pace.

This was the closest they'd been since...well, it had been a long time. The proximity was making Weiss' skin crave contact - wishing for the briefest touch that would send goosebumps along her arms.

Clenching her fist lightly and taking a deep breath, Weiss did her best to turn her attention away from Ruby. Fortunately, watching Blake fight in hand-to-hand combat was a worthwhile distraction.

Being Yang's partner meant that Blake always had some amount of hand-to-hand skill, but she had this particular flair that made her fighting style distinctly different from Yang's. For one, Blake's very essence was based upon being elusive and difficult to reach. Fighting with the hands was a personal, up-in-your face type of combat, yet Blake somehow made it seem more like a competition in illusion. Even without the use of her semblance, she had this 'is she here or there?' quality that always kept Yang guessing.

Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss noticed Ruby's knee bouncing rapidly up and down with an abundance of energy. On instinct, she reached out a hand to quell the motion - only to freeze at the last second when she realized what she was about to do. Trying to salvage the movement, she pulled her hand up in order to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

It was too late though - the action caught Ruby's attention and drew a silver gaze her way. The glance seized her heart - unbelievably powerful and utterly terrifying at the same moment. After so many days spent dreaming of Ruby, she was right here, right in front of Weiss' eyes. Close enough to reach.

Staring into silver eyes that were filled with curiosity, Weiss only managed to look away when she noticed that Ruby's left hand was moving in a constant squeezing motion. Glancing towards the movement, she found that Ruby had a small red stress ball tucked inside her palm.

"What's that for?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Oh, this?" Ruby asked, holding it up so Weiss could see the smiley face that had been drawn upon the ball in black marker. "I'm trying to make my hand stronger!"

When Ruby gave a little smile, Weiss waited for the rest of the explanation. But after several seconds of silence had passed, she understood that that was all Ruby was going to say. There would be no reason for why Ruby's hand needed to be stronger - and certainly no explanation for the jagged scar running across her wrist.

But why would Ruby explain either of those things? They were incredibly personal and likely painful moments in Ruby's recent past and Weiss was nothing more than a stranger. What had Weiss done to deserve such intimate knowledge?

After years spent as Ruby's closest confidante, it hurt to be left in the dark.

The lack of words felt like claws gripping into her heart, but Weiss tried to move past the moment as best as she could.

"So...do you like practicing with Yang?"

"I do!" Ruby answered with that whimsical grin of hers. "I really like hand-to-hand combat - any fighting style really. Apparently I didn't like it so much before though."

Ruby let out a short self-depreciating laugh at the comment while reaching up to play with the necklace hanging around her neck. The absent-minded action, although small, sent a shiver down Weiss' spine. Why did Ruby still have it? Why had she decided to keep it all this time?

Only after avidly watching Ruby fiddle with the necklace for several seconds did Weiss realize that she should attempt to continue the conversation.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of how it feels," Ruby explained without hesitation, her eyes watching Blake and Yang teasingly grapple in front of them - any attempt at a serious battle having already been forgotten. "Nothing Yang teaches me seems to come naturally, but at least I'm learning!"

"You did really well though."

"You think?" Ruby let out a delighted laugh at the compliment, the sound lifting Weiss' heart for a few seconds of what felt an awful lot like happiness. "Good thing you didn't see me the first few months. Those fights didn't last long at all."

While Ruby chuckled at the memory, Weiss gave a weak smile. There was something so infectiously joyful about Ruby...there always had been, but to see that it continued to this day was beginning to make Weiss regret the time she'd spent away. As if she needed more reasons to regret her actions...

"I've never been much for fist fighting," she commented in lieu of having anything better to say.

"Do you want to try?"

"Oh - no, I didn't mean -"

"Come on, it'll be fun! Unless -" Ruby paused and her eyes grew worried as she glanced towards Weiss' arm. "Unless your arm isn't ok?"

"It's actually fine now, but -"

Before the excuse could be fully made, Ruby had hopped up and was reaching down to pull Weiss to her feet. And Weiss had to decide whether or not to offer her hands - such a small decision seeming like it took an eternity to make. When Ruby motioned again with an encouraging smile, Weiss hesitantly lifted her hands and allowed Ruby to grasp onto them.

The moment she did, Weiss never wanted her to let go. The feeling of Ruby's strong, slightly calloused hands wrapped around hers was as familiar an experience as taking a breath of air. Tingles flitted through her veins - only to be followed by heartache when the moment quickly passed them by.

But that moment was quickly replaced by a new one as Ruby bounced out in front of Weiss - bursting with contagious energy and excitement.

"Then let's do it!" Ruby proclaimed before giving Weiss a pleading expression. "We can just try? It'll be fun, I promise!"

Finding it impossible to resist those begging silver eyes, Weiss numbly nodded her head and earned a giant grin from Ruby in response.

"Awesome! First - show me how you make a fist!"

When Ruby quickly raised her hands in the air as fists, Weiss followed suit. Her right arm gave a small twinge when it creased at the elbow, but it was more from discomfort than pain. The bandage had come away clean this morning as the wound had already nearly healed, forcing her to wonder why she so fortunate when Ruby was still struggling to regain her full strength. Granted their injuries had been far apart in severity, but given all this time...

Her thoughts scattered to the wind when Ruby stepped close and turned Weiss' hands around to see how her fingers had been curled into each other.

"Hey - that's perfect!"

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the small compliment. At least she still knew how to form a fist properly - courtesy of Yang forcing her to learn while they'd been in school 'just because.'

"Ok, now when I say 'up,' you're going to raise this hand right above your cheek and the other right below your chin." While Ruby issued instructions, she moved Weiss' hands into position - raising her left hand up by her cheek and her right slightly under her chin.

"She's a leftie."

The unexpected comment made both of them turn towards Yang in surprise - finding that somehow she'd managed to pay attention to them while blocking several of Blake's playful punches at the same time.

When Ruby turned back to Weiss, it was with wide eyes.

"You're a leftie?"

"Um...yes…" Weiss replied, lowering her hands self-consciously. "Is that a problem?"

"No! It's just awesome cuz I am too!" Ruby exclaimed. "But then I set you up backwards." Gently taking Weiss' hands in her own, Ruby switched their positions. "There, that should do it. Now you can hit me!"

"What? But I don't want to -"

"You have to! We have to see what your natural punching motion is!" Ruby explained. "Trust me - this is how Yang taught me too."

"She let you punch her?" Weiss asked dryly.

"Multiple times! But ok, how about you hit my hand instead?" With an encouraging smile, Ruby held up her left hand and nodded for Weiss to take a swing at it. Which she didn't want to do, but with Ruby looking so expectant it was becoming exceptionally difficult to say no.

"Alright..." Reluctantly agreeing so that she wouldn't disappoint Ruby, Weiss set her feet and punched towards Ruby's hand with very little power - slow enough that Ruby easily grabbed Weiss' fist in one palm. Before letting go, Ruby looked down at Weiss' hand and giggled.

"You have such small hands!"

"I prefer 'delicate,'" Weiss answered automatically. The response made Ruby burst into laughter - the sound sending Weiss' heart soaring into the sky with affection.

She'd forgotten how easy it was to make Ruby laugh. Weiss wasn't even intentionally making a joke...yet somehow the way she spoke had always amused her partner. Initially it had bothered her because she wasn't trying to be funny, but eventually she'd grown to love it. No one had ever thought that she was funny before and, honestly, she still wasn't sure that she was - but she'd always managed to find a way to make Ruby laugh.

"You have such 'delicate' hands then," Ruby teased while forming Weiss' fingers into fists and holding them tight. Smiling up while Ruby grinned down at her, those pesky butterflies began fluttering around in Weiss' chest once more. But the moment fleeted away when Ruby released her hands and stepped away.

Feeling eyes on her, Weiss turned and found Blake and Yang observing the interaction closely. Blake quickly looked away, but Yang's eyes lingered - letting Weiss know, in case she hadn't already figured it out, that she was being carefully monitored.

"Ok, let's try again!" Ruby remarked cheerfully. "Only this time put more force into it!"

Spinning back, Weiss raised her fists while Ruby beamed happily. Again, Ruby held up one palm and Weiss swung at it - this time harder, but still not hard enough to deal any damage.

"Nice! That was a lot better!" Grinning at the result, Ruby moved closer and sent Weiss' heart beating a thousand miles per second. "Can I give you a few pointers?"

Somehow, Weiss managed to nod and Ruby set about making small corrections in the way Weiss was holding herself. Wherever Ruby's hand hovered for an instant, Weiss suffered a trail of tingles that remained far after Ruby had moved away.

It was, in a word, overwhelming. It made Weiss' heart rush, tumble, and swell with so many conflicting emotions - one after another after another. It was too much, but at the same time it wasn't enough.

But, unlike when she'd run out on dinner a couple nights ago, her feet weren't urging her away. Even though her mind and heart were suffering through a roller coaster of emotions, not all of them good, the conflicting versions of herself had finally come to an agreement - they wanted to stay. If anything, Ruby's presence felt like a rapidly growing addiction...just how it had been when they'd first started dating. It was her laugh, or her smile, or how she made Weiss feel this budding amount of happiness.

"Ok, again!" Ruby said after having made several more meticulous corrections to Weiss' posture. Setting her feet and focusing intently, Weiss swung forward and placed her fist into Ruby's palm with a satisfying slap that sent Ruby back a half step.

"Now that was awesome!"

While Ruby grinned in success, Weiss glanced at her fist in surprise. That hadn't felt like much effort at all on her part, yet the power behind it had increased exponentially from her first attempt. All through the small changes Ruby had made?

With such excellent teaching, it might be fair to assume that Ruby was actually the brawler in the family.

"Thank you for the lesson," Weiss said with a smile.

"No problem! And if you forget all that, don't worry. I forget all the time."

Catching Ruby's grin and holding onto it for as long as possible, Weiss unconsciously shivered when a cool night time breeze swept across the backyard. Glancing up at the sky and catching the moon beginning to shine on the horizon, she realized that she'd stayed far longer than the few minutes she'd initially planned for. It was officially night now and she should probably be taking her leave.

It wasn't much longer before Yang seemed to have the same thought - glancing towards the moon before stretching her arms high above her head.

"Ok kiddo," Yang said before a yawn slipped out. "Should probably head in before Blake has to help us find the house."

"Aww, ok," Ruby answered. And was it Weiss' imagination or did Ruby look slightly disappointed by the announcement?

But the moment disappeared when Yang walked over and clapped one hand down on Ruby's shoulder before making eye contact with Weiss.

"Weiss," Yang addressed her with nothing more than a small head tilt before leading her sister towards the door, seamlessly wrapping her arm around Ruby's shoulders as they went. Ruby was already talking again - jabbering incessantly about something that Yang listened to patiently as they headed inside.

Resigned that the night was over, Weiss shot one more glance towards the rising moon before leaving the yard behind with Blake walking right at her side. Once they were through the screen door, Yang disappeared into the room on the right of the hallway while Ruby galloped into the living room to wait for them.

"Thanks for hanging out! Maybe we can do this again soon?"

Silver eyes gazed at Weiss expectantly until she numbly nodded in affirmation. It was nothing more than a simple gesture, but it earned a big grin before Ruby raced to the garage door - sending a cheerful wave over her shoulder as she went. "Have a good night!"

Even though Ruby had already disappeared, Weiss waved before standing in the middle of the living room trying to understand the horde of emotions fighting for attention in her mind. It was only when Blake moved that she jolted back to reality and turned away from the garage door - not missing the knowing expression Blake was currently leveling her way.

"I should go," she mumbled quietly while making her way towards the front door. Blake beat her there and opened it for her, to which she nodded in appreciation before heading back into the cool spring air. Sensing Blake step onto the front porch with her, Weiss paused and watched curiously while Blake closed the front door behind them in order to prevent cold air from entering the house.

"I hope you had fun?" she asked, her eyes glinting unnaturally in the low light.

"I did. It was…." As Weiss' words trailed off, she thought of Ruby laughing - her eyes sparkling with joy - all of the emotions that Weiss had thought had been lost. "It was great."

'Great' couldn't even begin to encapsulate how tonight had felt. Rejuvenating. Revitalizing. For the first time in a long time, she had felt like happiness might actually be obtainable. There was still a long way to go, and it was going to be more painful than she'd thought, but she could feel hope. Maybe she could never fix the mistakes she'd made, but perhaps she could atone for them in some way...

"But I'll...see you later, I guess," she finished awkwardly, unsure as to how or when she might be able to come over again. How many excuses could she come up with for randomly stopping by their house?

"Weiss, wait," Blake said, right when Weiss had started to turn away. Stopping, she turned back to find Blake searching for the next words to say.

"We're...going to the carnival tomorrow night," Blake finally said before nodding towards Weiss. "If you want to come."

"Carnival?"

"The Vale carnival is in town," Blake explained more easily. "Ruby's really excited about it. If you're not doing anything...it should be fun."

The carnival...how long had it been since Weiss had gone to a carnival? As a team they'd gone every single year while they'd been at Beacon - it was the only 'absolutely mandatory' team trip they'd taken. And every year it had been immensely enjoyable. Although there'd been that one time Weiss had gotten rather ill on one of those spinning rides...

"Yes, I'll be there," she answered. There was no way she'd turn down the opportunity to spend more time with Ruby right now. Even if Blake had invited Weiss to a Grimm petting zoo, she'd gladly say yes and then figure out a way to force herself to actually go later.

Blake smiled at the positive response - a smile that wasn't forced or fake. It tugged Weiss back to Beacon - where she and Blake had grown to be close friends. At first it had been due to their shared experience dealing with a certain pair of bubbly sisters, but eventually they'd discovered that they got along in many other ways as well.

"We'll be there around seven. Just meet us out front." When Blake turned to head back inside, Weiss reached out to stop her before even thinking.

"Blake -" she began before briefly pausing and struggling to find the words to say. Taking a deep breath, she met Blake's eyes and said, "I just want to say...thank you. For being...supportive."

Weiss understood what Blake had just done by extending the invitation - and it couldn't have been an easy decision to make, especially considering that Yang still looked like she'd rather Weiss didn't exist.

But Weiss' gratitude made Blake's Faunus ears twist and flatten ever so slightly - an expression Weiss had long ago learned symbolized sadness.

"Weiss, you're talking to the queen of running away," Blake explained quietly, her sympathetic eyes holding Weiss' firmly. "I know better than most what it's like to be in that situation and make the wrong decision."

"But you'd never leave Yang," Weiss answered without thinking, only for Blake's eyes to shift away and her ears to fall even further.

"Wouldn't I?" she whispered, briefly giving Weiss a sorrowful smile before disappearing into the house without another word.

Weiss' heart fell in her chest as she watched the front door silently close and the living room light click off a few moments later. Letting out a loud sigh, she tore her eyes away from the door and hurried down the pathway to escape from this evening.

Having to live with her own mistakes was bad enough. But reminding others of theirs…

Once upon a time, she'd prided herself in making good decisions. Now, she couldn't seem to do anything right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, supported, etc.! This story is still a long way from over, so keep that in mind as you read through the chapters.**

* * *

"Are there gonna be elephant ears?"

"Yes, Ruby."

Skipping forward, she gave a little hoot of excitement at the response, which was just what she wanted to hear.

Right now they were walking across a super big, really wide parking lot, but the sounds and smells of the carnival were beginning to drift by them. The smell of sugar was so strong she was practically getting a sugar rush just by breathing. That, and the bright lights flashing and twirling in front of them were making her more and more excited by the second. She couldn't wait to get inside!

Since they'd gotten here late, they'd had to park pretty far away - hence all the walking. It had taken Yang too long to find the shoes she wanted to wear - go figure. She only had an entire closet filled with shoes, but whatever. Water under the bridge now that they were finally here!

"What about ice cream?"

"I'm sure there's ice cream," Blake responded calmly, walking hand-in-hand with Yang as they trailed behind Ruby.

"Sweeeeet!"

Her sister had promised her all the sweets she could eat tonight. Literally anything and everything! Ten cotton candies, fifteen scoops of ice cream - the sky was the limit! And her stomach, but her stomach was basically a bottomless pit when it came to dessert.

"What about funnel cakes?"

"Most likely."

Chuckling happily after the reply, Yang pulled Blake closer as the towering front entrance grew nearer. A crowd of people were standing outside - some in lines to purchase tickets, some congregating in groups waiting for friends or family members to arrive. Interspersed with the regular folks were the carnival employees - who were super easy to pick out because they were wearing bright, bright yellow and looked like oversized bananas.

"Man," Ruby sighed contently, swinging her arms freely. "The carnival has everything!"

Scanning the scene in front of her, a spark of white caught her eye and she immediately gasped in recognition.

"Even Weiss!"

Because timing was incredibly cruel, she pointed at the exact moment Weiss noticed them - leaving Ruby to suffer the embarrassment of being caught in the midst of being rude once again. Oh well. Dropping her hand, she raced over - cutting through a group of high school kids - and slid to a stop right before crashing into Weiss at a very fast jog. For an instant the urge to give Weiss a big hug swept over Ruby, but she second-guessed that feeling away. To hug or not to hug - could they hug? How long did she have to know someone before she could give them a hug?

"Weiss!" she exclaimed instead, a big grin springing onto her lips. "What're you doing here?"

She'd already been super excited for tonight, but this made it even better!

"Yes, what are you doing here, Weiss?" Yang asked as she and Blake sauntered up behind Ruby. "Isn't a place like this way below your...pedigree?"

"I invited her," Blake responded, ignoring the wide-eyed expression Yang gave her while breaking away. "I'm really glad you could make it."

Walking over, Blake gave Weiss a short, one armed hug that nearly made Ruby snap her fingers in disappointment. She totally could've hugged Weiss! Or at least invited her. Why hadn't Ruby thought of that? Next time!

"That was nice of her!" she babbled happily instead.

"Blake is just too nice sometimes," Yang grumbled, but Ruby wasn't paying too much attention to her grumpy-pants sister at that point.

"You're gonna hang out with us then?" she asked Weiss hopefully, watching carefully as blue eyes briefly swept away before flickering back.

"If you'll allow me."

"Of course! The more the merrier!"

Ruby was probably grinning just a little too hard, but she couldn't help it. Seeing Weiss here made her really happy! Teaching Weiss how to throw a decent punch last night had been so much fun, and Weiss was fun to talk to. Just fun in general, so of course Ruby would be happy that they got to spend more time together!

But it made her a little nervous, too. Weiss was that kind of pretty - the kind that put the poor, ordinary people around her to shame. Now Ruby could totally see how Yang and Weiss had become friends - most of Yang's friends looked like they could be models. But they were super sweet, so Ruby didn't always feel intimidated by their beauty. She still was sometimes, but not all the time!

It was the same way with Weiss. Ruby knew that Weiss was beautiful - the type that attracted a lot of attention too - but she wasn't intimidated by it. Just...a little nervous. She didn't want to come off as immature or stupid.

Weiss extended one hand towards Ruby then, quickly ending the rapid thoughts that had been flitting through her mind.

"I got here earlier so I already bought tickets. I hope you don't mind."

Taking one of the tickets being offered, Ruby quickly read the face of them before bouncing up and down on her feet. They were soooo close! Literally. And figuratively. Cuz the fence was right there and they were about to be on the other side. Wait, maybe that was only literally then…

"You're so sweet!" she gushed before turning to her sister. "Can we go in now?"

Pointing towards the front gate, she gestured impatiently with the tickets in her other hand. When Yang and Blake nodded in unison, Ruby raised one fist in victory before triumphantly leading the way to the shortest line in front of the gates. Due to her expert line-picking skills, within minutes they were standing on the other side of the fence.

The last time she remembered being at the carnival she'd been like, six. Too short to go on the rides, too young to eat too many sweets, too broke to play the games, and too hyper to commit any of it to memory. Thus - thusly...this was basically her first experience at the carnival.

And it was awesome! There was candy everywhere! And games, rides, balloons - there was so much to look at! And people - there were a ton of people milling around in every direction - talking, laughing, and, in a few instances, crying but that was ok. The energy in general was hectic and full of happiness - I.E. welcome to Planet Ruby!

"What do you want to do first?"

Blake's question made Ruby narrow her eyes while trying to make a selection. There were so many options! There were rides to their left, right, and in front of them. There were also games in all of those directions. And vendors with different sweets.

"How 'bout that ride over there?" she arbitrarily decided, pointing off to the left. From this distance it was hard to see exactly what the ride was, but she could see the line of people waiting to get on it.

Blake and Yang followed the direction of Ruby's point before Blake turned back with her brow raised.

"The spinning teacups?"

"Is that what those are?" Ruby squinted to see what was happening underneath the red and white striped tent, before shrugging when her lame human eyes couldn't pick out anything specific. "Sure! Let's go on those first!"

"Excellent." Bobbing her head up and down in acceptance, Yang then shot Weiss a grin. "What do you say, Weiss? Ruby wants to go on the teacups - you in?"

"They look cool!" Ruby added as extra incentive.

"Then I guess that's where we're headed," Weiss answered before giving Ruby a weak smile.

"Yes!" Hopping once, she pointed one arm towards the ride. "Onward!"

Making their way over turned out to be an adventure in itself. There were so many people that every few seconds she had to dodge a running child or sprint ahead to make it in front of an oncoming crowd of loud students. It was like a crazy game of human pinball where she was the ball and everyone else was trying to bump into her.

Which actually sounded awesome. And if she was allowed to use her semblance, she'd totally rock at it.

When they were close enough, she was finally able to see what the ride was really about. The name turned out to be pretty self-explanatory - there were a bunch of different-colored teacups that spun wildly around a wide circular pen for a few minutes. Each cup held two riders with a wheel in the middle that must be in control of the spinning motion, while the speakers up above blared a fast-paced, manic tune that she could really use for training purposes.

Joining the end of the line, Ruby snuck a look over at Weiss, only to find that she was carefully watching the ride operator let in the next group of riders. The way her brow was furrowed made it seem like she was really watching the way he was clicking the doors shut. The small latch did seem kinda...flimsy. Maybe she was figuring out how safe the ride was? Or coming up with a strategy for how to spin the fastest?

The line inched forward and Ruby quickly looked away before she got caught staring again. She'd already been caught pointing tonight, she didn't need to add staring to that list! When the ride started up, she watched the cups spin and spin and spin - the constant motion enough to make her a little dizzy. It wasn't very long, maybe only a minute or two later, when the teacups swirled to a stop and the attendant was back at work again.

"I wanna go on every ride!" she proclaimed, watching the group of riders tumble out and practically fall over each other while leaving the ride behind.

"That's quite a goal," Blake commented as they moved closer to the front of the line.

"And totally doable, right?" Ruby asked before turning directly to Weiss with a grin. "Right, Weiss?"

At first Weiss looked surprised that the question had been posed directly to her, but then eked out a smile and a teeny, tiny nod that was almost too small to see.

"I'm sure that you can do it."

Laughing joyfully at the endorsement, Ruby shook her head. "You mean you're sure we can do it!"

Sending a smile Weiss' way, Ruby was more than happy to accept the small one she received in return.

Weiss was really interesting! At first, Ruby had expected her to be a lot like Yang - basically, outgoing and loud (like seriously, super loud). Seeing as how Ruby had spent her entire life dealing with that, she'd expected befriending Weiss to be a piece of chocolate cake! Instead, she'd quickly discovered that while Yang was loud, Weiss was more quiet and...thoughtful.

That was a good word for it! Weiss was thoughtful. She always seemed to be analyzing situations and events Ruby couldn't even hope of understanding. Not that Ruby minded that Weiss wasn't like Yang. If anything, that was a great thing! Two versions of Yang would be one too many.

Making it around a bend in the line, they found themselves standing right beside the section of plain cement ground where some of the teacups would spin by. Whenever one of the cups got close, Ruby watched it raptly until it had raced paced - and then another one would appear right after.

"Wow, look at those things go," Yang commented, leaning her arms casually on the metal bar that was acting as the outer edge of the queue. "Makes you feel a little queasy, doesn't it? Hey, Ruby - how fast do you think you can spin that wheel? Wanna have a competition?"

Grinning at her sister, Ruby was about to respond when she noticed that Weiss looked a little more tepid than usual. Or maybe it was more appropriate to say that it looked like Weiss was about to be sick.

"Weiss, are you ok?" Ruby asked instead, ducking her head in an effort to meet Weiss' eyes.

"Yes, but...I think - I'm going to sit this one out," Weiss suddenly said, giving Ruby an apologetic smile. "It looks a little too nauseating for me."

"Wait, are you sure?" she asked, turning to follow when Weiss moved to leave the line. "We could do something else -"

"No, no, really it's ok. I want you to try it out." The fleeting smile Weiss flashed reassured Ruby that she wasn't at all upset about it, but... "How about I get you a cotton candy while you wait?" Weiss offered.

"Ohhh! Yes please!" Scrambling in her pockets, Ruby searched for what little money she'd brought with her until Weiss waved at her to stop.

"It's my treat."

"You don't have to -"

"I'd like to, really," Weiss assured her. "What color would you like? Blue?"

"Blue was always my favorite! How did you know that?"

When Weiss smiled, it was that same small smile that Ruby knew was only half as powerful as it could be.

"Lucky guess...would either of you like one?" After Blake and Yang both shook their heads, Weiss nodded. "Then I'll meet you after."

Even though Weiss was fine with leaving, and even though she was going to get Ruby a cotton candy, Ruby felt her brow crease slightly while watching Weiss walk away. Something about this pulled at her heart in a strange way. Like it really didn't feel right, even though Weiss said it was fine.

"Shouldn't we leave too?" she asked Yang in concern. Yang pursed her lips together for a few seconds before answering.

"We're close to the front - might as well just wait. It won't take long."

"Yeah, but...I don't want her to have to wait alone…"

"You two go on ahead," Blake piped up before giving Yang a stern look. "I'll wait with Weiss."

Smiling at Blake in appreciation, Ruby watched her roommate leave the line before following her sister a few steps further. It wasn't a perfect solution, but at least if Weiss and Blake were waiting together Ruby wouldn't have to feel so bad. Still...something bugged her about the situation...as if she should've been the one to immediately hop out of line with Weiss. That would've been the friendliest thing to do, right? Man, she really didn't know the rules when it came to making friends. Between the hugs and now this...it was all a mystery to her.

Shaking her head, Ruby brushed off the strange feeling in exchange for a smile.

"I'm glad Blake invited Weiss!" she commented happily, drawing a surprised glance from Yang.

"You are?"

"Yeah! I mean, she doesn't seem to know anyone in town. Plus, she's cool and funny!"

That comment made Yang look at Ruby like she'd grown a second head.

"You think she's funny?"

"Yeah!" Sensing that Yang was implying it was weird to think that way, Ruby followed up with, "You don't think so?"

Chuckling at the question, Yang lightly shook her head. "Only you could think that, Ruby..."

While the two of them scooted closer to the entrance of the ride, Yang stopped talking and focused her eyes on the teacups instead. It only took about three seconds of quiet for Ruby to know that something was up. Silence in their family was pretty rare - the only time Yang didn't have anything to say was when she was mad, sad, guilty, or had ten cookies stuck in her mouth while trying to beat Ruby in a cookie eating contest. Which Ruby always won, for the record.

But Yang was being quiet and Blake had given her that look and Ruby had a weird feeling about all of it, so that must mean...

"Did you know Weiss wouldn't like this ride?" she asked the instant the question popped into her head. Looking back on it, Yang had seemed a little too pleased to go on this ride and then was a little too quiet after Weiss had left.

Instead of looking at Ruby, Yang focused on the teacups swirling beside them.

"I had my suspicions..."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted in shock. She hadn't expected to be right. And even if she had been right, she hadn't expected Yang to admit it!

"I know, I know!" Yang threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Bad role model award…"

"Bad role model award is right!" Ruby chastised her sister. "You know we're supposed to be nice to people - and that means not trying to force them onto carnival rides they don't like!"

"I'm not sure that was ever explicitly stated -"

When Ruby pursed her lips, Yang stopped and shook her head.

"You're right. You're right. Trying to make someone puke is almost never nice."

"Right," Ruby agreed with a resolute nod of her head. Again Yang fell silent while they stepped forward - which only made Ruby frown. "Are you still that mad at her?" she asked softly.

Staring away, Yang's brow furrowed at the question while Ruby waited intently for an answer. They crept further forward before Yang sighed and hung her head.

"Yeah...yeah I'm still mad at her. Really mad."

"But what did she do?"

Letting out a shaky laugh and lifting her eyes, Yang ran one hand through her hair.

"I kind of...expected her to do one thing, and she did something else."

Waiting for the rest of the explanation, Ruby gestured with her hands when there was none.

"That's not at all enlightening!" she half-exclaimed, half-whined. A real answer was something more like 'she stole my favorite teddy bear' or 'she called me an idiot,' not...whatever that response had been! But this time Yang gave Ruby a sad smile.

"I know it's not," Yang replied quietly. "I just...I don't want to get into it here. I'll tell you sometime, but right now I'm just trying to forget it. Which is much easier said than done..."

Ok, that wasn't exactly a good explanation, but at least it was honest. Ruby liked to think she knew her sister better than most people, so she could pretty easily tell that Yang was struggling to come to terms with whatever had happened.

Finally nodding in acceptance of the partial answer, Ruby glanced behind them but couldn't immediately find Blake or Weiss outside the line. Biting her lip, she turned back to Yang.

"If you really don't want her around...then you should just say so."

Did she want Yang to say so? No! Because Ruby wanted a new friend and she wanted Weiss and Yang to be friends again. But she also didn't want Yang to always be upset by Weiss' presence.

Fortunately, Yang shook her head and waved away Ruby's fears.

"Don't worry about me, Ruby. If you want to be friends, that's great. I just don't particularly want to be her friend right now. Ever, maybe, but definitely not right now."

Before Ruby could open her mouth to respond, Yang smiled and leaned over to bump shoulders.

"And if it's ever not ok, I'll tell you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The word put Ruby completely at ease, so much so that she smiled in relief. Yang had never broken a promise and she never would, so any doubt Ruby had about befriending Weiss had just flown right out the window. It was that easy, really - just needed a simple little word from Yang! Now Ruby and Blake could continue Operation Get-Yang-and-Weiss-Speaking-Again with gusto!

But first, Operation Ruby-Needs-a-Friend!

Actually, she wasn't going to call it that - because that sounded sad. Operation Befriend Weiss! That was better.

When the group in front of them suddenly rushed through the gate, Ruby saw that they'd made it to the front of the line! A few seconds later, the ride attendant beckoned them forward and they were loaded into a pink and white teacup whose paint had seen much better days. Taking their seats, Ruby clipped in place the rather flimsy looking seat belt before giving Yang two thumbs up.

"You ready for this?" Yang asked, her eyes twinkling in happiness.

"You bet!"

"Now remember - if you feel like you have to puke, make sure to do it outside the cup," Yang told Ruby with such a serious expression she couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll try to remember," she replied with a shake of her head. That wasn't gonna happen because she had a stomach of steel! No way some rapid spinning and kind of jarring stops were going to toss her lunch!

They only had to wait a few minutes while the rest of the teacups were filled - with people, not tea - before a loud chime sounded and the ride jolted to life. The same cartoonish song they'd been listening to over and over again while in line blasted over the speakers as she and Yang began spinning the wheel in between them as fast as they possibly could.

Which was pretty dang fast. Yang's arm was kind of an unfair advantage, but with Ruby's lame left hand it probably evened out. Probably, but probably not. Either way, if there was a competition for spinning a teacup the fastest, they were definitely winning. They were spinning so fast that the lights blurred around them, mushing everything behind Yang into one solid background - Ruby couldn't even tell what it was anymore. Giggles slipped out as they spun, which quickly turned into laughter that Yang joined in with. It might seem like a silly ride, but it was fun. A whole lot of fun.

And her stomach was completely fine. Although she was starting to feel like...it was a good thing she hadn't eaten right before.

In only a minute or so, they'd managed to spin that cup what felt like a hundred bajillion times. She was using very precise counting metrics to determine that number too. They were reaching their second hundred bajillion when the ride ended - rather abruptly. Their cup came to such a jarring stop that it could've tossed Ruby out if she hadn't been holding onto the wheel. And if she hadn't been strapped in by the - apparently really useful - seatbelt!

Even though the cup had stopped spinning, her brain didn't seem to agree. Everything behind Yang, including Yang, was moving in this constant wavy pattern that Ruby's eyes were weirdly following.

A few seconds later the attendant walked by and opened their teacup door without looking at them, which was apparently the signal for them to get up and leave. Closely following Yang, Ruby unclipped herself, stood, and stepped out of the cup.

And nearly fell right on her face.

The ride might have seemed short, but apparently it kept going after the music stopped! It was like walking on a moving sidewalk - her legs and head couldn't agree on where to step next, so she swerved and stumbled awkwardly towards the exit. This was definitely why they put handrails on the exit line…

Fortunately, Yang wasn't faring any better than Ruby was. The other riders seemed to be walking ok, but the two of them were carefully glued to the railing the entire way out of the ride. When they finally rejoined the general mass of the carnival, Blake and Weiss walked up to them, with Blake looking particularly amused by their current state.

"She didn't puke!" Yang said triumphantly, raising both fists in the air before lowering them when she staggered to one side. Standing straight and trying not to fall over in the process, Ruby scoffed at Yang's celebration.

"Of course I didn't puke."

"You never know, Ruby. You never know," Yang replied distractedly, placing a kiss on Blake's cheek and allowing her girlfriend to wrap one arm around her waist in support.

Rolling her eyes, Ruby turned to find Weiss - holding a giant blue cloud of cotton candy! Wow, she'd already forgotten that Weiss had offered to go get one. It looked amazing! But somehow the towering pile of sugar looked wrong in Weiss' hands, like Weiss was way too refined to be eating a child's treat.

"Here you go," Weiss said, handing it over to Ruby before brushing off both hands.

"Thanks, Weiss! You're the best!" she replied, grabbing a handful of blue and shoving it in her mouth. The cloud instantly disintegrated, leaving behind a trail of sugar on her tongue. Noticing the way Weiss was watching her, Ruby pulled off another piece and held it out. "Want some?"

"Oh, no, I -" Backing away from the cotton candy like Ruby might force her to eat it, Weiss stopped a safe distance away and took a deep breath before hesitantly smiling. "You're going to have a blue tongue."

"I totally am!" Ruby said with a laugh and another bite. "Does that weird you out?"

For a split second, Weiss' smile seemed to shine a little brighter while she shook her head 'no,' but that moment disappeared even faster than the cloud of sugar in Ruby's mouth.

"Ok, Ruby," Yang finally spoke up. "What's next?"

Cheerfully eating her cotton candy, Ruby glanced around to see what they should do. There were a couple of other rides nearby, but they all looked pretty...spinny. There was no way she wanted to leave Weiss out again, so she pointed towards a long line of game tents stretching what looked like the entire length of the carnival.

"Let's look at the games and see if there's any we want to play!"

As she would quickly discover while they walked slowly down the line of tents, all carnival games looked fun to play. Knocking over tiny milk bottles, breaking plates, throwing darts at balloons...who wouldn't want to play? Plus, the prizes became more and more ridiculous the further they walked down the game alley. Towards the end the stuffed animals had reached gigantic proportions - big enough that she actually had to wonder whether or not they'd fit into the car to take home. And if they weren't meant to be taken home, what was she supposed to do with them?

"Can we try each game?" she asked when they'd finally reached the end.

"I don't see why not," Yang answered with a smile. Grinning back, Ruby skipped a few paces forward until something tugged her gaze. Turning back, she found that Weiss had stopped walking several yards behind them and was now staring at one game in particular.

"Weiss?"

Curious about what had caught Weiss' attention, Ruby went back to join her, leaving Yang and Blake walking up ahead. The two stopped talking when they noticed what Ruby was doing, but waited several paces away while watching carefully.

It looked like Weiss was staring really intently at something...a stuffed bear, maybe. But she wasn't moving. She was hardly even blinking!

Glancing towards the stuffed bears, Ruby couldn't figure out why they were special enough to deserve so much attention. Compared to the rest of the prizes they'd seen, they were actually pretty realistic, small, and boring!

"Weiss?" she asked again, reaching out and hesitantly touching Weiss' elbow. She jumped at the contact, which made Ruby jerk away in surprise, but when their eyes met Weiss seemed to calm down.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked while Weiss placed one hand over her heart and looked at the ground. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby noticed Blake and Yang exchange a worried glance, but she didn't dare take her full attention away from Weiss because something was up.

"Yes, I'm alright. Sorry for holding you up." Finally meeting Ruby's gaze, Weiss' smile was embarrassed and not altogether reassuring...but if she said she was ok, then Ruby really didn't have a reason to believe otherwise...except for the feeling that something was wrong.

"Want me to win you that bear?" she offered, hoping it would cheer Weiss up. "Because I totally can!"

"Ruby, do you even know how to play that game?" Blake asked, as she and Yang finally walked back over to them.

Studying the game intently, Ruby discovered that it didn't look familiar at all, but she still shrugged her shoulders.

"No, but how hard could it be?"

As it would turn out, the game was pretty darn hard. Especially when it cheated! She was positive that it did! She just hadn't figured out how yet.

In theory, it was a simple game - toss a little metal ring around the neck of a glass bottle to win a prize. And the rings were big enough to fit (she'd checked when the employee's back had been turned), but for some reason they kept bouncing off! It was maddening.

Even if she hadn't won the bear yet, Weiss seemed to have cheered up watching Ruby attempt the impossible with the rings. Mission successful, kinda…

"Ok, I swear these things are shrinking in the air!" she whined, picking up her remaining ring and examining it closely. There had to be some sort of contraption in it that was using the spinning motion to tighten the circumference. Maybe if she tossed it underhand with as little spinning motion as possible…

Clink.

Nope. That didn't work either.

"I don't get it! It shouldn't be this hard, right?"

"Ok Ruby - let the master show you how it's done!" Yang called out, planting some money confidently on the counter before rolling up her sleeves.

Immensely curious, Ruby watched intently while the attendant set a new stack of rings down in front of her sister. After failing so many times in a row, she had to know how Yang was going to do this. It wasn't like Yang had better hand-eye coordination than Ruby did - they were pretty even in that - so what was she going to do? Throw the rings hard enough to break the bottles? That probably wouldn't be considered winning...

While Ruby watched with bated breath, Yang rubbed her hands together excitedly, picked up the stack of rings in one hand, and...promptly set them down in front of Blake. Blake gave Yang an amused smirk before stepping forward, picking up the top ring and casually tossing it directly onto a bottle - all while hardly even looking!

"How did you do that?" Ruby immediately gasped in amazement.

"She's my ringer," Yang quipped with a grin, letting one of the metal rings fall around her finger before Blake snatched it away and easily threw it onto another bottle.

"No, really. How?" Ruby asked again before running over and gluing herself to Blake's side in order to watch the throwing motion. Instead of tossing the ring like Ruby had been doing for the past 20 Lien, Blake flicked it so it tumbled head over tails through the air.

"You need the ring to spin downward so it sticks," Blake explained as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. But...how did she aim so perfectly? How did she time the spin just right? How - just, how?

At a loss for words, Ruby retreated to Weiss and Yang's side while Blake tossed the remaining rings onto sequential bottles. The game attendant, who up until now couldn't have cared less how they did, was now staring with his mouth hanging open at Blake's success.

"She's actually not supposed to play carnival games anymore," Yang whispered into Ruby's ear. "They didn't like that she was winning every game."

"They were fine with me winning. They weren't fine with your boasting," Blake stated calmly while picking out a small stuffed lion as her prize and handing it to Yang with an affectionate smile.

"I can't help it! I want everyone to know how amazing you were."

"I'm ok if no one knows but you."

When Ruby heard the softened voice and saw the slightly lowered gaze, she groaned out loud.

"Can't I take you guys anywhere?" she complained to no one in particular since both Yang and Blake were too interested in each other to hear her words. "Come on, Weiss - they'll catch up to us eventually."

Gently looping her arm through Weiss,' Ruby led them both away from game stand towards another section of the carnival. She didn't have an exact destination in mind, but anywhere else seemed like a good place to be right now!

"They're so embarrassing sometimes," she said, glancing towards Weiss only to instantly unlink their arms when noticing the focused stare. Whoops. Maybe that had been a little too touchy feely. She'd done it on instinct though!

"Um, sorry I couldn't win you that bear..." she mumbled apologetically before briefly checking over her shoulder to make sure that Yang and Blake were trailing behind them.

"Don't be sorry. It was very thoughtful of you to try."

"Next time I'll win though!" she announced, hopping a few steps forward while dreaming of her future carnival success. "I'll get my own bottle and practice at home until I'm a master like Blake!"

Beaming triumphantly - even though she hadn't accomplished anything yet - Ruby turned around to find that Weiss was smiling at her. It was a smile that made goosebumps spring up on her arms.

The moment disappeared when Yang and Blake walked past Weiss and Weiss' expression fell as her eyes flitted to Yang's back. Reaching Ruby, Yang gently slapped her on the shoulder before pointing up at something behind her.

"Wanna go on the ferris wheel?"

Spinning around, Ruby stared up at the giant metal contraption towering above the rest of the carnival. The bright lights managed to make it look inviting...even though it was a set of baskets attached to a spinning metal wheel. Still, its height was impressive.

"That must be like ten stories tall!" Turning to the side, Ruby noticed that Weiss was staring up at it now too. "Weiss, how tall do you think it is?"

Blinking out of her thoughts, Weiss looked at Ruby first before studying the ferris wheel thoughtfully.

"Around...ten stories."

Ruby's immediate burst of laughter drew Weiss' confused attention.

"You're right. Probably ten stories," Ruby tried to say with a straight face before giggling some more - with even Yang joining in with a soft chuckle. "But do you wanna go?"

This time Ruby made sure to watch Weiss closely for an answer. There wouldn't be another teacups incident on her watch! She was paying such close attention that the moment Weiss locked eyes with her it seemed like the rest of the world faded away. In that moment, while goosebumps raised along her arms, she could almost read the answer in Weiss' eyes before Weiss had even begun to nod her head.

"Sure, let's go."

Making their way into another line, Ruby rubbed at her arms in an attempt to smooth the goosebumps away. It wasn't that cold tonight, but maybe they were from all the sugar. She had eaten that cotton candy pretty fast...

This line was much slower than the one for the teacups, but Ruby and Yang were able to easily fill the time with rather pointless banter. There were only a few things their family was really skilled at - fighting, eating, and talking. Yang especially. Yang was the Queen of Talking! And Ruby was the Queen of Random. Between the two of them, they could occupy an entire ferris wheel line with corny jokes and really smart observations.

It was particularly fun to get Weiss involved in the conversation. It was a little hard to do, but Ruby was discovering that if she asked questions directly to Weiss, she would always answer. This must have been what Blake was talking about by 'getting to know each other.' Through little bits of conversation and interaction, Ruby was learning about Weiss in leaps and bounds. It was fun! Who knew that making friends would be this much fun?

"So you don't like apples?" she asked in disbelief.

"Not particularly."

Mouth hanging open, Ruby gave Blake and Yang a quick glance of surprise before turning back to Weiss.

"But what about caramel apples? Do you like those?"

"No...I'm not a big fan of sweets either."

For the briefest of moments, Ruby felt like her mind might completely implode from that statement.

"You...don't like...sweets?"

This time, Weiss' smile was amused as she shook her head 'no.'

"But how could...why...but sugar is awesome!"

When Weiss softly laughed at Ruby's surprise, Ruby took a step forward and suddenly realized that they were pretty close to the front of the line. And in noticing that, she also noticed that the attendant was only letting two people into each basket.

"Looks like we'll need to split up," Weiss mused, having followed Ruby's gaze and already come to the same conclusion.

"Yang, why don't you ride with me?" Blake immediately asked, squeezing Yang's hand and giving her a smile. "You know how I am with heights."

"You love heights," Yang replied, confusion written into her brow.

"Well, yes, but this looks a little too high. If you know what I mean."

When Yang's brow furrowed even further, Blake sighed and leaned over to whisper in Yang's ear. Finally Yang seemed to comprehend, nodding once while a big grin grew.

"Guess you two are on your own!" she remarked while moving with Blake in front of Ruby and Weiss. Soon the pair were seated in the - still slightly rocking - ferris wheel basket and lifted off the ground. Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss were left waiting for the next one to swing slowly around to them.

"Would you like the lake or carnival side?" Weiss asked politely, right before the attendant beckoned them forward.

"Lake!" Ruby immediately answered, before realizing that maybe the guest should get to choose. "Unless you wanted to sit over there?"

"It's all yours," Weiss replied, gesturing for Ruby to get into the basket first.

After taking a seat, the attendant latched the small door and suddenly they were lurching forward - the jerking movement making them swing unsteadily for a few seconds before everything smoothed out. Holding onto the edge of the basket, Ruby watched while the ground fell away from them bit by bit. They were only a couple inches off the ground at first, then a foot, then two feet, then three...

It was pretty slow - which was probably a good thing because it'd be pretty scary if it was spinning really fast. Unlike the teacups, this was much more of a relaxing ride. Leaning back into the basket, the silence that had stretched for only a few seconds now seemed far too long. Fidgeting in her seat, she decided to fill the void with talking.

"Tonight's been so much fun!"

"I'm glad you're having a good time," Weiss answered softly.

"I really am! I wasn't sure what to expect since I haven't been to the carnival since I was like...six, but this is a ton of fun." When Weiss gave Ruby a curious expression, she backtracked from the quasi-maybe-lie. "I mean, the last time I remember going to a carnival I was like six. Maybe I went again sometime."

The lapse in knowledge made her chuckle and shake her head.

"Maybe I even worked at one, I wouldn't know."

When Weiss continued to examine her closely, Ruby realized how strange that sentence must sound to someone who didn't know what happened. Which meant that she should probably clue Weiss in on what had happened. It wasn't a big deal, right? It actually didn't feel like one. She wasn't nervous like she'd expected to be. Somehow she knew that Weiss wouldn't think she was weird or broken or crazy. Weiss would accept her, just like Blake and Yang did. Hopefully.

"I, um...I got hurt a while back," Ruby began to explain, one of her knees bouncing up and down with jittery energy. "You've probably noticed the scars -" When she pointed to the one on her arm that was currently covered by her sleeve, Weiss gave a tiny shudder.

"Yeah, I know, they're pretty gnarly. I have one up here too - see?"

Pushing aside her hair where her fingertips could feel the smooth, raised line of skin, she turned so that Weiss could see the scar hidden there. Facing away, Ruby couldn't really tell if Weiss had actually seen it or not, but she gave a stiff nod that Ruby took as a 'got it.' Lowering her hands, she looked straight out in front of them - over the carnival lights and happy patrons.

"I lost my short and intermediate term memory due to...uh, 'severe brain trauma,'" she mimicked the way one of her doctors had said the term. "Basically about five years of my life just up and disappeared. Decided they didn't want to be in my mind anymore, I guess."

Chuckling softly, she wrapped both hands around one of her knees and looked out over the lake, where the bright moon was reflecting in the jet black surface. With every gust of wind ripples blurred the reflection, reminding everyone that a reflection could never come close to competing with the real thing.

"You don't remember anything?" Weiss' voice was soft, like how people speak in hospitals around someone who's dying.

"Basically nothing from the beginning of high school on," Ruby replied with another shake of her head. "It used to really bother me - this...fog...that never lifts. But…" Pausing for a second, she then shrugged her shoulders. "You get used to it, I guess."

It had taken a long time to learn how to ignore the feeling of longing and loss that spread whenever she tried to touch that cloud in her mind. At first, it had always been at the forefront of her thoughts, but eventually she'd learned how to ignore it completely. Instead of dwelling on something she couldn't change, she'd filled up the spaces around it with new memories, pushing that cloud to the very back of her mind - where she rarely searched.

"I can't...even imagine…"

Ruby smiled at the honest response and kept talking. It was actually pretty nice to tell her story for once.

"It was pretty crazy at first. Yang talked to a whole bunch of doctors about how to 'reintroduce' me to things. They thought it'd be best to take it nice and slow - not overload my brain, ya know? Like, if someone came up to you and said 'your favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla,' you might agree with them, or disagree just because you don't like being told what your favorite ice cream is. Or if someone you've never met before said 'hey, I'm your best friend,' you'd be like…'who are you? I don't know you. Why are you pretending to be my best friend?'"

Unclasping her arms and leaning back, she ran her fingers over the scar crossing her wrist. Even under the material of her shirt, she could feel the slightly raised line she'd carry with her the rest of her life.

She was lucky that she remembered Yang - since the memories of their childhood were still intact. But that gap of time...she could clearly remember how confused and scared she'd been after waking up and finding that Yang was suddenly five years older.

She'd lost years of her life. She'd lost time with family, experiences, adventures, and who knew what else...

"What about now? Do you still feel like the truth would be...too much?"

Weiss' question really made Ruby stop and think. Even Yang hadn't asked that yet - whether or not Ruby felt ready for more information than what she already had.

"A part of me has always wanted to know," she replied while absentmindedly swinging her legs. "I mean, I know some things - like I was a huntress and went to Beacon with Yang and Blake - but Yang only told me that stuff after a long time. I could probably ask for more, but at a certain point…" she paused and then shrugged again. "I guess I feel separate from that person now. It'd be like reading a history book or something. And I've always sucked at history."

She had a very...complicated...relationship with her past. At least, with the parts she'd forgotten. If she thought about it too much she wanted to know more, which was why she avoided it most of the time. She wanted to know, but she didn't. Sometimes she really cared about it, but most of the time she didn't.

Instead of dwelling on it, she'd concentrated on something Yang had once told her - focus on who you are now, not on who you were then. Ruby had accepted long ago that she was never getting those memories back, so there was no good reason to focus on them if it came at the detriment of her current training. This Ruby wanted to become a huntress again. And past Ruby...well, it didn't matter if she had been a huntress if she wasn't anymore, right?

"Where did your necklace come from?"

"Huh?" Surprised by the question, Ruby looked down and found that she'd started playing with her necklace while lost in thought. "Oh this? It's...well, I actually don't know where it came from."

Sliding the ring hanging from the thin silver chain halfway onto her index finger, she held it up so Weiss could see it more clearly. It glinted in the moonlight - polished silver catching each ray of light and turning it into a spectacle.

"It was something I had...before. Not sure where it came from, but I thought it'd be nice to have it on a necklace."

She'd actually been wearing the ring when she'd woken up in the hospital, but didn't know why. Even though she had absolutely no idea who it was from or what it meant, she still hadn't wanted to get rid of it. So she'd put it on a necklace and worn it every day since. In some ways, it felt like a source of power and comfort to her - a remnant from a past life that could lend her strength in this one. It reminded her of what she'd lost, but gave her hope that she'd find her way again.

Sometimes she imagined that all of her missing memories had been bottled up in the ring and were now just sitting there, waiting to be released. That would explain the strange longing she felt towards it sometimes, wishing that she could have those memories back. When she'd first been released from the hospital, she'd spent hours examining it and searching for secrets, but there was nothing to be found. Nothing but the small etching inside that read simply - 'Eternity.'

"Must've been a gift or something…" she mumbled, staring down while twisting the ring around the chain. "From someone who's not around anymore…"

The ride lurched again and threw her mind off of that train of thought. Looking down, she found that the ferris wheel had paused to load up another car, while the car she and Weiss were in had reached the pinnacle of the wheel. This was as high up as they were going to go - and they were pretty high up. It was actually a little cold up here, with the wind blowing steadily.

Shivering once, she looked across the lake towards the moon.

"Could be worse, right? Could remember nothing. Or not be here at all."

Her injuries had been life threatening. Being given a second chance, even missing a few pieces of information, was a blessing to her. It was the reason she trained so hard to get healthy again. It was the reason she tried to get better every day - to make sure this gift wasn't wasted. Sure, she easily could have wallowed in self-pity, but Yang wouldn't let her do that. Blake wouldn't let her do that. Thankfully! Because who would want to hang out with Ruby when she was nothing more than a pity party?

She owed both of them a lot for pushing and supporting her when she needed it most.

Noticing that Weiss had been quiet for some time now, Ruby's mind scrambled while trying to figure out what to say next. That had probably been a pretty depressing story for somewhere as fun as the carnival - ah! She'd totally killed the happiness with that, right?

This was totally fixable. She just needed to make things less depressing again. Not that it was really depressing. Well, Ruby didn't think it was depressing - it just...was. But to someone else it probably sounded like a big pile of gloom.

Searching her mind and finding a lighthearted story, she laughed.

"One of the weirdest things was that I wasn't used to being so tall. I basically woke up one day and I was five inches taller than the night before. It made me super clumsy. I hit my head on things all the time - so often that Yang almost put me in a helmet to 'prevent further brain damage.'"

The memory made her chuckle again. Whenever she reached down to pick something up she would knock her head on the edge of a piece of furniture. Or when she bent down to tie her shoes she would hit her head on the wall or whatever other surface might be nearby.

The solution had been that Ruby wasn't allowed to do anything by herself - which had been completely ok with her! For a little while, she hadn't had to tie her own shoes, pick up anything she dropped, or even put away her own laundry. It had actually been a pretty awesome time...

"Oh!" she added when she thought of something else. "And then I convinced Yang that I'd forgotten what my favorite flavor of ice cream was, so we went to the ice cream shop and she let me order one scoop of every flavor. That was a great night…"

It might have been a little fib on her part...but the most important part was that she'd been able to confirm that her favorite flavor had remained the same.

"What is your favorite flavor?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Chocolate chip! Although I really like this other flavor called 'Smushed Grimm.'" As soon as Ruby said the name, Weiss let out an uncharacteristic burst of laughter.

"Smushed Grimm…" she repeated with a smile and shake of her head. "I forgot that existed…"

"You've had it before?" Ruby asked excitedly. It was a really unique name - definitely memorable. And it was really good! Chocolate ice cream filled with chocolate chunks and black cherries. Delicious.

"I'm pretty sure everyone in Vale has tried that flavor at least once," Weiss replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

And Weiss' eyes sparkled when she was happy - light blue glimmering with flecks of white. It completely changed who she was - like this was a completely different person sitting beside Ruby right now. This version of Weiss was vibrant and filled with hidden joy.

Glimpsing a truly happy Weiss filled Ruby with the most indescribable feeling. It was a warmth that began somewhere deep in her chest and spread through every fiber of her being - like drinking a cup of hot chocolate after playing in the snow. Whatever it was, she liked it. It made her feel like she'd just accomplished something really special.

"I like to pretend I'm actually eating a Grimm when I have it," she continued, hoping to keep the sparkle in Weiss' eyes. "I'm...not allowed to have it when Blake and Yang are around anymore..."

When Weiss laughed even harder, Ruby decided that Smushed Grimm was her new favorite flavor. Anything that could make Weiss laugh like that instantly made it onto Ruby's list of favorite things. She'd gladly eat non-fat, sugar-free pistachio ice cream if it'd make Weiss this happy!

"You see?" Ruby finally said, sharing a smile with Weiss. "Things aren't so bad - they're actually really good now. I have people who look out for me and help me," she glanced up at the moon while she said that, giving silent thanks to her mom for always being there, before turning back to Weiss. "And I think there's a lot to look forward to! Training keeps me motivated - I want to be able to help others. Give back a little of what's been given to me."

When Weiss' eyes focused on her, it made Ruby feel like, for that moment, she was the only person in the entire world that Weiss could see. Well, she probably was because they were the only ones in this little ferris wheel carriage, but there was a different feeling lingering in Weiss' eyes...

"You're training...to become a huntress?"

"That's the goal!" Ruby replied with a grin. "I spend most of my time reading about battle strategies, working on Crescent Rose, or practicing with Blake and Yang. I'm getting better, so maybe one day you'll be reading about me in the paper!"

The idea made her laugh happily. Even though huntsmen played a huge role keeping the city safe, they were never in the paper. Probably because hearing about what happened beyond the walls would scare people more than help them feel safe. So she had no actual intention of making it into the paper, but if she was going to dream, she was going to dream big!

"You want to be a huntress," Weiss repeated, more to herself than to Ruby. "But with your hand -"

"I'm working on that! That's what Mr. Red's for, but Blake just gave me an idea that might work even better!"

Weiss didn't seem to hear that last part - she was too busy staring out over the carnival with a furrowed brow and pursed lips, the expression one of deep thought. It was far too serious with the brightly colored tents in the background, so Ruby nudged Weiss softly with her elbow and they shared a small smile.

"But that could still be a long ways off," Ruby added while leaning over and lightly bumping Weiss' shoulder again. "Yang said I have to beat Blake first...and Blake is really good."

Sometimes Ruby was close to winning, but close wouldn't be good enough in a real battle...and wouldn't be good enough to convince Yang either.

"Until then, all I can do is keep training! Keep getting better and not waste this opportunity I've been given…." her voice trailed off when she realized she'd been about to launch into a really long spiel on second chances. "Sorry, I just realized I'm being really cheesy!"

"No, don't be. I think it's refreshing. You have a great outlook on life. Much better than my own, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean? What's your outlook?"

When Weiss looked at Ruby, it was with the most pained expression she'd ever seen.

"To survive one more day and not think about the past. And maybe, someday, have the strength and opportunity to make things right."

The answer was so serious, Ruby couldn't help but to chuckle nervously at the weight of it. But then she got a grip of herself and responded like a good person should.

"Hey, a good head injury might help you with one of those things," she joked, praying that some levity would lighten the mood. Thankfully, Weiss smiled ever so slightly and shook her head in amusement.

"But seriously, what could you not be strong enough to do?" Ruby mused - more to herself than to Weiss. "I guess we haven't known each other that long, but you seem smart and strong and talented…"

Realizing exactly what she needed to say, she turned to Weiss with a grin.

"I bet you could do anything."

Weiss looked taken aback by the claim, but Ruby wholeheartedly believed it to be true. And she had evidence supporting her too!

"I mean look - you're here trying to make things right with Yang, even though she's angry at you. That takes a lot of courage, you know? Most people would run from that challenge, but not you! You're here facing it head on."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Weiss whispered quietly.

"I do! And you should too!"

Seeing how close they were to the ground, Ruby couldn't help but to feel disappointed that their time together was coming to an end. The ferris wheel ride had been far more enjoyable than she'd expected it to be - and now that she'd gotten her history out in the open and caught a small glimpse into Weiss' thoughts, she felt like they could actually become friends.

"Thanks for not thinking I'm weird," she said quickly, before waving towards her head. "You know, cuz of my past."

"I would never judge you for that...it wasn't -" Pausing, Weiss briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "It wasn't your fault."

Before Ruby could respond, the ride attendant was unlatching their door and beckoning them out. Scrambling out behind Weiss, Ruby didn't have to search very long before finding Yang and Blake. They were waiting just on the other side of the fence - Yang talking animatedly about something while Blake smiled and nodded every so often.

"Do you know Vale very well?" Ruby asked while the two of them walked down the exit line and back into the crowds of the carnival.

"I used to, but a lot has changed since I was here last."

"Well, if you'd like someone to show you around...I only know a few places but I'd be happy to go with you!" she offered.

"You would do that?" Turning to the side, Weiss seemed genuinely surprised by the offer.

"Yeah of course! Why not? Or if you wanted to just...hang out or something. I don't really get out of the house much, so you could always come over. You know, whenever." Ruby's cheeks grew warmer under the cool night air when Weiss looked at her - clear blue eyes seeming to see right through her.

Was that the right way to ask? In high school, she hadn't really had any friends so she'd never been inviting people over to hang out. Was an open-ended invitation good enough? Did she need to pick a specific time?

Thankfully, Weiss smiled and nodded in understanding - right before Yang's strong arm wrapped around Ruby's neck and pulled her aside.

"Someone's keen eyes spotted elephant ears nearby," her sister whispered in her ear.

Gasping, Ruby turned to Blake, who promptly pointed her in the right direction. Reaching over, Ruby grabbed Weiss' arm and dragged the girl through the crowd to the vendor she could see across the way.

"Come on, Weiss! I've heard these are like...the best things ever!"


	7. Chapter 7

**I've been waiting to post this chapter for a long time. I do anticipate some chapters more than others, and this is definitely one of them. You'll likely see why in just a few minutes.**

 **Thank you again to everyone for all of the support!**

* * *

"Quarterly projections were overly optimistic - it looks like we'll have to stretch to meet those numbers before the end of the month."

"Even with the holiday coming up?"

"Historical data was already included in our calculations -"

Blowing a puff of air quietly past her lips, she tapped her fingers impatiently on the board room table while only half paying attention to the rest of the conversation. Projections, rejections, suggestions on how to grow profit margins and cut costs...on a good day these meetings were about as interesting as watching paint dry. But today…

"What have the distributors said?"

"We've only received data from fifty percent of them, but -"

Stifling a yawn, her eyes drifted to the scroll lying face up on the table in front of her. Blake and Yang had promised on everything they held holy that they would message the _instant_ anything happened - even if it was something as small as a fluttered eyelid or a murmured word. That had been the only way the two could convince Weiss to leave the hospital room behind and rejoin the 'real world.'

The 'real world' was filled with mind-numbingly boring corporate meetings, stiff executives with inferiority complexes, uncomfortable boardroom chairs, and...well, the coffee was decent at the very least. Schnee Dust cut costs in any way possible, but the coffee budget always remained the same.

After spending two full weeks - day and night - by Ruby's side, Blake and Yang had been determined for Weiss to 'take care of herself' while they all waited anxiously for Ruby to recover. Since the doctors weren't sure how long it would take for Ruby's aura to rejuvenate itself, they hadn't been able to give any sort of timeline. It could be mere hours from now. Or days, weeks, even months…

No matter how long it would take, Weiss had been extremely resistant to the thought of leaving Ruby's side. Rejoin the real world? That phrase didn't even make sense to her. Ruby _was_ her world.

At first she'd flat out rejected the idea and refused to consider it further. It had only been after her back and knees had begun to ache from the rigid hospital room chair that she'd reluctantly agreed with her teammates' proposition. Even so, she had only agreed under the stipulation that at least one of them would be with Ruby at any given moment. They'd devised a schedule of alternating shifts so that one of them was always there - ready, waiting...

Of course whenever Weiss was away from the hospital, she wasn't _living_ as much as merely waiting for her next shift to start. It was as if there was a heavy rope tied around her heart that wouldn't allow her to move too far from Ruby without tightening painfully, growing more and more weighty with time.

It wasn't living. It was...surviving. One day at a time, one day closer to the day when Ruby would wake up. Because Ruby _would_ wake up. Weiss knew that as certainly as she knew her own name. There was no force on Remnant powerful enough to keep Ruby Rose down for long.

Ruby would wake up. She had to.

In the meantime, Weiss was somehow managing to fulfill some semblance of familial obligation, by traveling to the Schnee Dust building in downtown Vale and accomplishing some menial tasks. Issuing directives, sitting in on meetings, walking through the floors with inspectors...her position was more of a figurehead than anything else, but it gave her the opportunity to keep her mind occupied - which was a temporary reprieve from the constant crushing guilt that only built the longer they waited.

When she was busy, her new position acted as a bit of a reprieve. The same couldn't be said when she was being bored to tears by whoever this production manager was.

"The thirty-two page report I've compiled for you details the taxation benefits of switching our inventory accountability methods -"

This time her sigh was a little too audible, catching the attention of the manager sitting beside her. When he turned to her curiously, she gave him a stony expression that forced his gaze quickly back to the presenter at the front of the room.

She was about to do the same when the screen on the table in front of her lit up with a message. Just like every time before this, seeing Yang's picture pop up caught every ounce of her focus and threw her heart into a rapid dance. Without a second thought of manners or professionalism she grabbed the device and opened the message.

 _Don't get so excited_ , she mentally chastised herself while pressing the small envelope icon. _It's probably just Yang asking if they could get brunch -_

' _She's awake.'_

Her lungs stopped collecting air while she stared at the briefest of messages, yet with an abundance of meaning.

Awake? Ruby was -

The sound of her chair sliding backward brought all sets of eyes her way, but she didn't even bother offering an excuse as she flew out of the boardroom and down the hallway towards the bank of elevators. She would have taken the stairs, but she was on the fiftieth story - the elevator would certainly be faster.

Or so she thought. But when she rushed into the next one and it proceeded to stop at every conceivable floor on the way down, she was proven wrong. By the time she burst into the main lobby, her nerves were almost completely fried.

She needed to get to Ruby _now_.

Racing through the massive lobby with ceilings three stories high and an outer wall made entirely of glass panels, she brushed past several employees before blowing through one of the exits that was hastily opened for her by one of the security guards. No sooner had she stepped outside, onto the oversized sidewalk separating the building from the closest street, did her eyes begin scanning for a taxi. Fortunately, there were several waiting nearby - idling near one corner of the building where executives would often head out for meetings or lunch appointments.

Dashing over to the vehicle in front of the line, she pulled open the door and slid quickly into the backseat. At the same instant, she used her scroll to ping a hastily large sum of money to the driver before he could even turn on the meter.

"Get me to Valley Hospital in fifteen minutes and I'll double it."

Seeing the money pop up on his console, the man didn't waste a second questioning whether or not she was serious. Instead, he floored it out onto the main road at a speed that was _slightly_ higher than the limit.

Clasping her scroll tightly in one hand as she was whisked through city streets, she mentally scolded herself. Why had she been so foolish to go to Schnee Dust to begin with? The building was in the heart of downtown, precisely where traffic would snag the most. On a good day it was merely heavy, but on an ordinary day it was somewhere between unmanageable and horrendous - doubling the time it took to navigate away from the skyscrapers towards the more relaxed suburbs.

' _She's awake_.'

Knowing that Yang probably wouldn't be checking her scroll anytime soon, Weiss still typed out a hurried 'on my way' before staring impatiently out the window at brakelights crawling ahead of them.

Ruby was awake. Finally awake.

Filled with expectant energy, Weiss found that her knee was bouncing uncontrollably - a habit she'd most assuredly picked up from Ruby over the course of their partnership. On any other day the external display of nerves would have been something she'd seek to control, but not today. She couldn't wait to see Ruby again - and see something more than the peaceful slumber Ruby had refused to wake from for weeks. That happy-go-lucky smile and those shimmering silver eyes were waiting for Weiss - if only the damn traffic would cooperate.

Tapping her fingers across her thigh, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to push down the irritated impatience rapidly expanding in her chest. There was no reason to grow agitated right now. Ruby was awake. Yang was with her. And Weiss would be there soon.

Their family would be whole again.

Finally.

Being apart had been wearing down Weiss' nerves much more than she could ever hope to explain to her teammates. In front of them, she'd tried to put on a brave face - masking the guilt and blame she'd been wrestling with ever since they'd returned from the forest. It had been like sandpaper scratching against her sanity, grating it away day-by-day while she waited for a miracle to happen.

But today her only wish had been granted.

Loud horns made her jolt in surprise, before the vehicle rapidly sped past a slower car in the outer lane. The driver in the front seat muttered several expletives under his breath before navigating them into blessedly traffic-free streets heading away from downtown. With the worst of the drive quickly disappearing behind them, they'd be arriving shortly.

A smile snuck its way onto her lips, reflecting in the window back to her. She was still impatient to see Ruby, but relieved that this whole ordeal was over. Or almost over. With Ruby's injuries there would surely be difficult times ahead, but nothing that the two of them couldn't tackle together. They were the very best partners, after all. Of all the impossible things they'd accomplished by each other's side, this would be just another footnote.

Weiss was going to do everything in her power to ensure Ruby recovered quickly - no matter the time or expense it would require. If they needed to build a mini-hospital in their home, Weiss would see it done. If they needed to spend every waking moment working through some form of rehabilitation, Weiss would be there for every second Ruby must struggle.

While there were still heavy concerns over Ruby's arm, Weiss was going to seek out the best doctors from across Remnant for second and third opinions on how to reinforce those destroyed ligaments and help Ruby regain full strength. This wouldn't be the end of their story. It was just another chapter - albeit one of the more difficult ones they would find.

A sprawling white building brought her focus whipping back to the moment in front of her - sending her pulse fluttering into inconsistency.

Valley Hospital, in all its sterile grandeur. From the outside, nothing had changed since the day they'd been dropped off via airship on the roof and rushed through the doors to the emergency rooms, where Ruby -

Snapping off that memory before it could run any further, Weiss checked her watch before sending the driver another large sum of money and flying out of the vehicle before it had even come to a complete stop. With wings on her feet, she raced across the sidewalk and flew through the sliding glass doors at the entrance. Greeted by a cold blast of air, she immediately took a left for the staircase - the hospital elevators took far too long and there was no way she possessed the patience to wait for one. Not when she was so close. Plus, four flights of stairs disappeared like nothing when she used glyphs to fly up them.

The heavy door to the fifth floor burst open and released her into the hallway that led directly to the room that had become like a second home to her. Every bit of her wanted to break into a run, but her heavily ingrained upbringing prevented her from doing as much in public. Instead, she walked - quickly.

The door was just ahead on the left. That's where Ruby would be waiting for her. In just a few seconds, they would -

An arm suddenly appeared in front of her chest, the unexpected barrier preventing her from moving any further.

"Weiss, wait."

In her haste, Weiss would have walked right past Blake had she not held out an arm. Under ordinary circumstances, Weiss would have gladly stopped and waited at her teammate's request, but these weren't ordinary circumstances, and she wasn't willing to wait a second longer. Hadn't she already waited long enough?

Ignoring her friend's request, she brushed Blake's arm away and tried to continue. But this action only forced Blake to grab Weiss by the wrist in order to halt her progress.

"Weiss."

"What?" she snapped at Blake, whose sole identity at that moment was 'the person preventing her from seeing Ruby.' The bite in her tone made Weiss immediately flinch with guilt, but thankfully Blake didn't seem hurt by the unattended impatience. At least...Weiss' words hadn't hurt her...

Something was wrong. There was barely concealed pain in Blake's amber eyes, but, much more prevalent than that, there was worry. Her grip was strong - too tight, really. Weiss could feel forceful fingers digging into the skin on her wrist, as if Blake was scared Weiss would try to rip her arm away. Which she was very inclined to do, since she was not very amused by the unnecessary imprisonment.

"There's been a...complication…"

The way Blake's ears flattened at the word was a warning Weiss actually heeded. This was serious. Something was _wrong_.

Excitement turned to dread in under a heartbeat.

"What are you talking about?" she managed to ask, her voice so soft it sounded like she was being rationed of oxygen.

Blake's eyes briefly moved away before coming back. The apprehension lingering there made Weiss want to reach out and reassure Blake that whatever was bothering her, it would be alright. But, what was bothering her was Ruby -

"She's awake, but...it's...not what we expected."

As Blake explained in starts and fits, her grip never loosening, Weiss listened intently. Every word was chosen carefully, but that did little to diminish their weight as they slammed into her chest. And while Blake struggled delivering the news, herself on the verge of tears, Weiss felt ice flowing through her veins, sending tremors through her limbs.

It couldn't be true.

"I don't...believe you -" The words were nothing more than a whisper, and nothing more than a lie. Weiss knew that Blake would never lie...not about this...

A man approached them - a man Weiss immediately recognized to be one of Ruby's lead doctors. Striding right up to them, he stood straight and let out a loud sigh before finishing what Blake had started. Gloves off, he explained exactly what was going on.

Traumatic brain injury. Internal bleeding.

Unforeseen complications.

Confusion. Panic. Sedatives.

 _Amnesia_.

When all of the words had been said and the damage had been done, the doctor and Blake both watched Weiss with varying degrees of sympathy. But...she didn't believe what they'd just said. She didn't want to. She couldn't. If Ruby had lost a significant period of time, then Ruby might not remember Beacon. And if Ruby didn't remember Beacon, that meant she wouldn't remember…

"I don't...believe…" Her words disappeared into nothing as her ability to speak was cut off by the vice tightening around her lungs.

It was more than shocked. It was more than stunned. It was something far beyond any of those terms that Weiss was feeling right now.

"I need to see her," she finally said, turning towards Ruby's room regardless of what they'd just told her. If what they said was true...Weiss needed to see for herself.

Blake hadn't released Weiss' arm, but slid her hand down so they could walk hand-in-hand to the glass window that would allow Weiss to see into Ruby's hospital room. Blake's grip was still tight, an ever-present reminder that she would prevent Weiss from trying to go inside.

Slowing to a stop and turning to look through the glass, tears of happiness instantly sprang into Weiss' eyes. Ruby was awake. She was finally awake. Silver eyes were moving around the room, blinking, focusing on Yang. Yang was in the middle of saying something - telling a story or joke, it looked like - and Ruby smiled. It was more of a slight mouth curl than anything, but after weeks of no emotion it was huge.

Most importantly, nothing seemed wrong. Ruby was _right there_ \- Ruby was fine. The doctors must be wrong.

Moving closer to the door, Blake's grip on her hand tightened in warning...but she crept closer still. That rope around her heart was pulling her in, compelling her to be as close as humanly possible.

Ruby was saying something - again with her lips barely moving. Yang nodded her head in response before launching into another story or explanation. It seemed like a normal interaction from the two sisters, minus Ruby hardly being able to move, but…

But from this distance Weiss could clearly see that something was wrong. Ruby's eyes were shifting constantly - jumping from Yang to her injured arm to the hospital machines to the bed and back again. She was anxious about something. More than anxious, she was...she was upset about something. _Really_ upset, but trying hard to hide it.

An irresistible urge consumed Weiss the instant her mind made the connection. She needed to be _in_ there - she needed to comfort Ruby and make everything better. Whatever that entailed, Weiss would do it. She _had_ to do it. She'd promised...

"Blake…" Her tone was pitiful - pleading - in a way that only Ruby and her teammates would ever hear. She tugged against Blake's hand, only for Blake to tug back and keep Weiss rooted in place.

"Trust her."

Trust her...trust Yang…

Weiss did. Of course she did. She would trust Yang with her life - with Ruby's life. But…

Yang's eyes found Weiss' through the window then and, with nothing more than a nearly imperceptible shake of the head, froze Weiss in her tracks.

Maybe Yang and Weiss had started off on the wrong foot, and got into more arguments than most, but over time she'd grown to love Yang like her own sister. She'd learned to trust that Yang would always try to make the best decision for everyone. Most importantly, Yang understood how Weiss felt about Ruby. Yang understood how badly Weiss missed her.

So when Yang told her no - when Yang told Weiss that she couldn't see Ruby yet - she finally realized the gravity of the situation.

And burst into tears.

Immediately wrapping her in a hug, Blake gently guided Weiss away from the window before trying to console her with soft pats on the shoulder.

"It's ok…" Blake whispered quietly, over and over again, but there was nothing that Blake could say or do that would make Weiss feel any better.

This wasn't what was supposed to happen. This wasn't how their story was supposed to go. Ruby was supposed to wake up and Weiss was supposed to run into the room and be greeted by a giant smile. Ruby would say something like 'Did you miss me that much?' or 'Guess who I met in my coma?' Ruby, even in her most vulnerable state, would find a way to make Weiss laugh - would find a way to wipe away all of the pain and guilt and worry -

Ruby wasn't supposed to _forget_.

"It's going to be ok, Weiss. We're going to figure this out…"

With tears still flowing, there was no way she could respond even if she wanted to. Instead she stood there in the middle of the hallway, face tucked into Blake's shoulder while she cried. How long they stood like that, she couldn't say, but it was until she physically couldn't shed another tear. It was only when her sobs quieted that Blake pulled a fraction of an inch away, far enough to look down into Weiss' eyes while still holding onto her shoulders.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

No. Weiss had never wanted to leave Ruby's side to begin with and she certainly didn't want to now. But what use would she be here? And now she was such a mess that she needed to pull herself back together before seeing Ruby anyway. So, nodding her head, she allowed Blake to take her hand once more and lead her back out the way she'd rushed in. There were no wings to be found as her feet thunked heavily on each step on the way down to the lobby, sounding as if her shoes had been filled with lead. The lobby's cold air made her shiver and added another layer of trembles that didn't end even after Blake had led them out into the afternoon sun.

More tears fell on the short drive home, but Weiss tried to hide them from Blake as best as possible. She could feel Blake sneaking glances towards the passenger seat every few seconds, so she kept her gaze fixed firmly outside the window while she saw nothing but Ruby sitting up in the hospital bed.

She was awake. She was awake, and she was scared, and Weiss could do nothing to help.

The two of them didn't speak a single word until the front door of Weiss' home slid into view and the vehicle stopped.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"You should probably go back - check on Yang," Weiss replied tiredly, opening the car door with a great amount of effort. Without looking back, she could tell that Blake couldn't decide what to do so she added, "I'll be fine for now."

"Ok….we'll come over tonight."

"Alright."

Autopilot guided Weiss up the steps and inside, with exhaustion beginning to creep over her the instant the front door closed behind her. There were still tears in her eyes, but she almost didn't have the energy to cry anymore.

This morning when she'd woken up, she never would have believed that this situation could get any worse - yet it just had.

"Ruby…" she whispered towards the floor, head hung in defeat while tears splashed between her shoes.

All she wanted was for Ruby to be back, for things to return to the way they'd been. She would give anything, _anything_ , for that to happen. She wanted the halls to be filled with laughter and the smell of roses. She wanted to lovingly gripe about having to pick petals out of her dinner.

"Weiss."

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name, eyes searching in the direction it had come from. It was nothing but her mind playing tricks on itself - because there was nothing but the empty living room, lights off with the computer screen glowing unnaturally amongst the darkness.

But sight of the computer got her mind working again. Walking over, she sat down in front of it and typed in the elaborate, nonsensical "master password" Ruby had come up with. While waiting for the home screen to appear, she reached out towards the small stuffed bear sitting beside the monitor and gave his stomach a little squeeze. He was supposed to be lucky - one squeeze of his stomach and a wish would come true. No guarantees that it would be your wish, but _someone's_ , _somewhere_.

When the computer was ready, she focused on the task at hand and did the one thing she knew to do when a situation felt too big for her to handle - she researched. Over the next few hours, she read everything she could find on memory loss - medical journals, news articles, books…she even connected with a couple of the best doctors and surgeons around the world and strong armed them into giving her a few minutes of their time. And then she was even lucky enough to find an online community of people who had suffered similar traumas - presenting her the opportunity to read through their experiences in great detail.

In a short amount of time, she was able to become very knowledgeable on the topic. And, most importantly, she'd begun developing a plan. That's what she was best at, wasn't she? She was the planner - the strategizer.

There were cases, _numerous_ cases, where people regained their memories in whole or in part. For some it took days, some months, but it happened - that's what was most important to her. That's what she held onto for hope - that this too would be just another blip in Ruby's recovery. In the meantime, they needed to behave as if that _might_ _not_ happen and act accordingly. That would be the hard part, but if they figured out a plan in advance and stuck to it...

By the time she heard the front door unlock, her eyes were burning from staring at the screen for the entire day without pause. Still, she didn't turn away from the current article she was reading when she heard Blake and Yang walk into the room behind her. It was only when someone flopped heavily onto one of the chairs that she swiveled in her seat, armed with her newfound knowledge and determination.

Wary wouldn't be the right way to describe how Yang looked right now - she was downright exhausted. The inescapable feeling was rolling off of her in waves, yet that didn't stop her from giving Weiss a small smile.

"Hey - how're you doing?"

"I'm fine, but how is…" Weiss' words lodged in her throat when an unexpected swell of emotion appeared out of nowhere. Yang didn't need Weiss to finish the question though. Leaning back in the chair with a slouch of defeat, Yang lifted both hands and then dropped them onto her thighs.

"She's...confused. And scared."

The honest answer shot straight through Weiss' heart. She hated the thought that Ruby was scared…that's when Weiss needed to be there - to support Ruby and assure her that everything was going to be alright. Not...this.

"What does she -" Weiss began to ask, but her voice cracked and she was forced to cough before trying again. "When - or...how much -"

The question wouldn't even come out, that's how afraid she was of the answer - the answer that she already knew. If it had been good news, Yang would have said so immediately. Instead, Yang opened and closed her mouth before shaking her head and exchanging a glance with Blake. Running a hand through her hair, Yang sighed and turned back to Weiss.

"She's...she's never been to Beacon."

When Yang's sorrow-filled eyes met hers, Weiss immediately turned away as the stinging of unshed tears intensified.

"As I thought…" she whispered to herself, sniffling softly before summoning all of her willpower to hold herself together.

It was confirmed then - Beacon was gone. The years they'd spent together, training and fighting and...it was all gone. Weiss was gone. She didn't exist in Ruby's mind. She might as well have become a ghost.

"She's close," Yang quickly added. "I mean, in her mind I'm about to graduate soon, so…"

The sentence trailed off while Weiss struggled to bring herself back to the course of action she'd spent all afternoon preparing. If Ruby was scared and confused, it became even more imperative that they figure out how to reintroduce themselves into her life as quickly as possible. They needed to be there to support her through this transition.

And hopefully this was only temporary. Hopefully someone hadn't just pressed the reset button on the only part of Weiss' life that she'd enjoyed living.

"Weiss…" Blake said quietly, reaching one hand across from the sofa and lightly touching Weiss' knee.

Blinking back tears, Weiss focused all of her energy on attempting to remain passive. The only way she was going to be able to emotionally handle this situation was if she disassociated herself as much as possible. Just think about the results - the plan of action - and not that little voice in the back of her mind spewing nothing but blame.

"We need to figure out what we want to tell her, in terms of who we are," she began, standing from her seat so that she could pace in front of her teammates. "We probably can't give her too much information, even though she might want us to fill in the gaps. Depending on how receptive she is, she could end up rejecting the past, even if it comes from you." She nodded towards Yang, who hesitantly nodded in return.

"That's kinda what the doctors told me today. That's why they said that, um...that maybe we shouldn't have too many people talking to her right away. So we don't...overwhelm her."

That was Yang's gentle way of telling Weiss that she wouldn't be able to see Ruby as much as she wanted, but she'd already assumed as much. Regardless, she brushed past that knowledge as quickly as possible - not wanting to dwell on the it for too long.

"Right, so only short meetings at first - to show her that she has people who care for her. We'll need to decide exactly how we'll introduce ourselves," she continued, gesturing towards Blake, who nodded in return. "Obviously the easiest thing for you is to be Yang's girlfriend, so you'll have a built in reason to be around. But for me…"

Weiss couldn't introduce herself as...as the person she truly was. That's what she'd learned from reading stories from past sufferers of brain trauma. They'd explained how the most jarring interactions had been with people who had supposedly been close to them, but who they couldn't remember ever meeting. Merely telling Ruby that they'd been in a relationship would be the equivalent of a stranger approaching her on the street and saying 'I know you don't recognize me, but surprise! We've been together for years.' It could lead to distrust or worse, suspicion.

"I guess I need to stick to the friend label for now…" she concluded, musing mostly to herself.

It was a non-threatening introduction, or as non-threatening as Weiss could come up with that would still supply a reason to be in Ruby's life. She wouldn't say close friend or best friend, just friend. Hopefully Ruby's mind would fill in the rest.

The proposed solution made Yang and Blake share one of those looks - one of those secret conversations the two seemed to have more often than not. When finished, Yang turned back to Weiss with both hands clasped together.

"Are you sure we shouldn't try to tell her? I mean, I'm sure she'd believe me. Maybe not at first, but…"

When Weiss shook her head, Yang's words trailed off. As much as Weiss _wanted_ to do just that, she couldn't bear to think of the consequences if Ruby didn't accept it - or didn't accept her. They might only get one chance at this, and the repercussions were far too great for Weiss to accept the riskier - albeit less painful - route.

"I think we can introduce ourselves as friends and see how Ruby feels about it," Blake stated calmly. "If she seems overwhelmed, we'll take it nice and slow. If not, we could test the water with some more details."

Yang caught Weiss' gaze then, locking eyes in that serious way she had on only the rarest of occasions.

"It's your call, Weiss. I'll tell her whatever you want me to."

There were so many different ways that this situation could play out. How on Remnant was Weiss supposed to analyze them all in less than a day? It was impossible. It was an impossible problem to solve. She just needed to pick a path, then hope and _pray_ that it was the right one. Her entire life and happiness depended upon it.

"Friends - we're friends," she decided with a resolute nod that Yang mimicked. "If...anything changes...we'll reevaluate."

This time Blake nodded as well, all of them in agreement as to what they were going to do next. As with any plan they adhered to nowadays, there was always the caveat of 'playing it by ear,' as Yang so fondly put it. In this situation, Weiss hoped that playing it by ear meant that the situation was progressing far better than they were currently imagining. Because right now her mind was filled with the worst outcomes possible.

But first...they needed to set the plan in action, on a path that had just become far more difficult than Weiss had prepared herself for.

Taking a deep breath, she looked resolutely towards Yang.

"We can go see her tomorrow morning?"

"I'll meet you there first thing," Yang replied, right before a long yawn slipped out. Covering her mouth with one hand, she blinked drowsily after it had passed.

"You should probably get some rest now," Weiss commented, standing up so that her teammates would follow her lead. "It's been a...rough...day."

Pushing herself to her feet, Yang then leaned backwards to stretch her back with an audible crack. "You can say that again," she mumbled sleepily before giving Weiss a small, lopsided grin.

"Do you want us to stay over?" Blake offered as she stood and placed one hand on Yang's shoulder in a subtle display of support. Both of them waited for an answer - postures already saying exactly how willing they were to stay another night.

Through everything, Weiss had had her teammates' undying support. They'd turned their schedules upside down in order to be there by her side. They'd sacrificed their time and energy to help Weiss survive. A part of her felt guilty for demanding so much of their attention when they had their own lives and relationship they'd surely like to get back to. But they were selfless in giving their time to Weiss and, most of the time, she was greedy in accepting it.

"It's alright," she answered this time, adding a shake of her head and a forced smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked again, giving Weiss a second opportunity to say yes. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I'll be -"

'Fine' was on the tip of her tongue, but that wasn't an honest answer and they would know it. How could she be fine right now? Her life had already been turned upside down and now a completely unexpected obstacle had been thrown into the mix.

"I think I'll be alright," she answered instead, biting down on her bottom lip when it quivered against her will.

Stepping closer, Yang pulled Weiss into a warm embrace. It wasn't too tight to be uncomfortable, but firm enough to make her feel safe and secure. Through the warmth, Weiss could feel Yang trying to lend some of her own strength, even though she must be nearly depleted by now. But that was just the way Yang was...willing to drain every last drop of energy if it meant helping her family.

More tears found their way into Weiss' eyes while she gladly accepted everything Yang was able to give.

"You'll have her back before you know it," Yang whispered before pulling away and rustling Weiss' hair ever so slightly. Weiss pretended to pout about her disheveled hair while straightening it back into place, earning a smile from Yang. The gesture had stopped bothering her years ago - when she'd finally been wise enough to understand it was simply Yang's way of treating her like a sister.

When Yang backed away, Blake was next giving Weiss a hug - this one quicker than Yang's but not lacking in emotion. Squeezing Weiss' shoulders before letting go, Blake accepted Yang's hand as the three of them slowly walked into the entryway and back to the front door.

"Try to get some sleep," Blake suggested before opening the door, her amber eyes imploring Weiss to heed the advice as she pulled the door closed behind them.

"I'll try…" Weiss whispered in the emptiness.

After staring at the door for several moments, she turned back to the still house.

'Deafening silence.' The oxymoron applied perfectly to this current moment - where Ruby's absence was shouted from the walls, the floors, the empty rooms and halls, at a pitch that only Weiss was able to pick up.

Internally, she already knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight. Not that she'd been sleeping the past few weeks - what with the nightmares she'd been having incessantly since the hunt. Every time she laid down in bed and shut her eyes, she could see the Death Stalkers. She could hear the shouting, the yelling. She could feel the paralyzing panic and dread -

So she could go upstairs and go through the motions of going to bed, only to lay awake for several hours, or she could save herself the wasted effort and give up on the idea of sleep right now. If anything, not being able to sleep could work to her advantage today. Insomnia would give her an entire night to solidify exactly what she wanted say in the morning - when she would meet Ruby for the 'first' time.

Turning away from the staircase leading up to the second level, she walked back into the living room and sat down at the desk. Switching on the television behind her to a random channel in order to provide background noise, she then pulled out a pen and pad of paper from the drawers and began writing.

And writing. And re-writing. And giving up before writing again.

 _Ruby, my name is Weiss. I'm...one of your friends._

 _Ruby, we've been friends for quite some time - I'm so glad you're finally up._

 _Ruby...I'm sorry._

What seemed like a simple introduction turned out to be anything but. Her mind raced through conversation trees, trying to determine what Ruby's response might be to each introductory line. What would Weiss say after that? And then after that?

With Ruby, the possibilities were endless on a good day. Not knowing exactly what mindset this particular version of Ruby might be in, Weiss couldn't even begin to make an educated guess as to where the conversation might go. And that scared her - the idea of venturing into the unknown filled her with dread.

Many rough drafts and unexpected naps at the desk later, she was yawning and pulling herself back together in preparation for the trip back to the hospital. It had been quite some time since she'd felt so run down...mentally and physically unraveling at the seams...but she needed to hold herself together for a little while longer. Just a little longer and things would start to get better...

Ordinarily, she wouldn't have spent any effort thinking about what to wear, but if she was going to be meeting Ruby for the _first_ time she wanted to make a good impression. Not just a good impression though - a great impression. After trying on nearly every article of clothing in their closet, Weiss had finally decided upon an outfit and made her way to the hospital. She did make one small detour - but only to Ruby's favorite bakery in order to pick up a box of her favorite cookies.

Armed with both her scripted introduction and the cookies, Weiss made her way to the hospital with more determination and anxiety than she'd felt in a long time. The cold air in the lobby brought goosebumps to her arms as she walked to the elevator and patiently waited for the next one. It was a stall tactic, but it worked all the same - the elevator took several minutes to arrive and several more to stop at each floor on the way to the fifth.

By the time she was stepping out onto Ruby's floor, Weiss' heart pounding like a jackhammer in her chest. Determination, anxiety, and edginess. A part of her could practically _feel_ Ruby's nearby presence calling out - trying to lure her back into Ruby's magnetic orbit.

Somehow, Weiss managed to resist that urge and instead stopped by the nurse's station in the middle of the hall to check-in like they were required to do. Visiting hours hadn't officially begun yet, not that that had ever stopped Weiss before, but today she was going to play by the rules.

Of course, there weren't even any nurses around at the moment to check her in, leaving her to tap the countertop while apprehension settled in. Yang and Blake weren't here yet, so Weiss would have to wait a little longer anyway. But that didn't mean she wanted to wait longer than necessary once her teammates did arrive.

Losing her patience, she quickly decided that she would go find a nurse somewhere down the hall. Spinning on one heel to stomp away, she practically walked right into a patient in a wheelchair being guided behind her at that moment.

"Excuse -"

She'd begun to say 'excuse me' on instinct, but she only got the 'excuse' part out before the 'me' stuck in her throat - lodged there by the purest silver she had ever known.

Of course. If Ruby was awake, it would be next to impossible to keep her confined to a bed. Even if she could hardly walk, she would insist upon moving around. Fortunately, rather than risk Ruby falling and hurting herself, a nurse was pushing her in a wheelchair down the hall.

So there she was.

"That's...ok," Ruby replied with a soft slur, giving Weiss a hint of a smile before turning away - the slight motion looking quite laborious. "Cafeteria again?" The nurse gave Weiss a longer look, knowing by now who she was, before smiling when Ruby tried to turn partially around to see why the response was so delayed.

"Just one more time - other patients will want breakfast too, you know."

Ruby let out a quiet giggle while the nurse pushed the chair forward, giving Weiss a sympathetic look while they passed. Her own feet remained cemented to the hospital floor while her eyes followed the pair towards the elevator - silently begging Ruby to look back. To turn around. To show some semblance of recognition.

But it didn't happen. And when the elevator doors closed a strange and overwhelming feeling tightened around her heart - a combination of heart wrenching pain and...utter despair.

 _Nothing_ could have prepared her for that moment. No amount of planning or rehearsing what she was going to say. No amount of strategizing. No amount of mental walkthroughs could have prepared her for the complete lack of recognition.

Ruby didn't know Weiss from any random person in the hall.

Hands trembling, she clasped them together while turning back to the nurses' station and lowering her gaze. It was growing difficult to control her emotions - something she'd never struggled with before a few weeks ago.

Somewhere, buried deep within her mind, she'd still foolishly believed that Ruby would recognize her the moment they laid eyes upon one another - that this whole nightmare would be nothing more than an overreaction. That's what soulmates were supposed to do, right? That's what love at first sight meant?

But there had been nothing - absolutely nothing - no residual amount of emotion left for her in those silver eyes.

The longer she stood there, the harder it became to breathe. Something was wrong - broken - but she knew it could only be her. She'd been so determined and yet completely oblivious to what she was actually walking into. She'd analyzed the situation, broken it down into manageable pieces and come up with a way to deal with every possible scenario. She'd thought of back-up plans to back-up plans - conversation trees so extensive that Ruby could strike up a conversation on bananas and Weiss would've be prepared for it.

But she'd fallen guilty to the same flaw that had plagued her even during school. It was the reason why she hadn't been fit to be a team leader at Beacon, and the reason why sometimes even her most well-thought out plans failed. It was a limit on her intelligence and a weakness of her character.

She'd planned and planned and planned, but she'd never factored in one of the most important aspects of any strategy - the human element. In this case, herself.

 _She_ needed to be strong enough to deal with Ruby not recognizing her. _She_ needed to have the willpower to make it through this challenge. _She_ needed to overcome the pain and figure out a way to piece them back together. But she couldn't. She wasn't that strong.

You never realize how much you depend upon another person until they're gone. All that she was...all that she'd become was a reflection of how Ruby looked at her. Ruby made her a better person. Ruby brought out the _best_ in her.

Now Ruby was gone. And it was Weiss' fault.

Tears filled her eyes and turned the tile floor into a swimming, shimmering mess of light while her mind turned against her.

Ruby was gone. The life that they'd shared was over. It didn't matter that Ruby was still alive and recovering. That wasn't the Ruby she knew - that wasn't the Ruby who lit up the night sky for her. That wasn't the Ruby who always smiled the instant they saw each other.

Struggling to breathe, Weiss sucked in a breath of air that sounded like a strangled gasp. The exhale broke in the middle with a sob. Never in her life had she felt so weak - so broken. There was a piece of her shattered mind - the one she'd been fighting to ignore all this time - that suddenly grew unbearably loud, ripping control from rationality.

 _This was all her fault._ She hadn't been fast enough, or smart enough, or _capable_ enough. She'd never deserved Ruby - this was proof of that. _She'd never deserved Ruby._ So the world had taken Ruby away from her.

Anguish overwhelmed her, turning her feet towards the stairs and setting her off at a run. The box of cookies she'd brought as a gift found their way into the garbage can near the stairs, right before she flew down them and out the sliding hospital doors. She was sitting in the nearest taxi before her brain had even caught up to what she was doing.

"Nearest airship station."

Her father had always told her that their family wasn't lucky. "Don't count on luck, little girl," he would say. "Luck is for the unfortunate. We work for our fortune." That's why all that she'd ever accomplished she could only attribute to hard work. She'd never found a moment where she'd stopped and thought, "Wow, I'm lucky." Until the day Ruby had said three little words...

How else could Weiss believe that someone so remarkable had fallen for someone so...flawed? She knew that she wasn't easy to get along with, or spend time around. She was a perfectionist to a tediously exhausting level. She could be boring, spoiled, entitled, quick to cast blame and slow to accept criticism.

It had been a miracle the first time...she'd been _lucky_ the first time...how could it possibly happen again?

If there were rational arguments, she wasn't going to hear any of them. All she could think about was the way Ruby had looked at her - or rather, looked _through_ her as if there was nothing differentiating Weiss from the next poor bystander in the hallway. As if Weiss was no one special...confirming every fear and insecurity she'd ever held about herself.

Within fifteen minutes, she was standing at the landing pad about to board the next airship. She'd already sent a message to Winter, who would send a car to pick her up in Atlas. Her hands refused to quit shaking, so she hid them in her pockets away from view while watching the giant ship slowly dock and release its passengers.

She couldn't say that she'd thought through this decision - other than knowing that she needed to get away from here. She needed to get away from silver eyes glancing over her like she was nothing. She needed to get away from the twisting pain of guilt knifing through her heart.

Stepping onto the airship as soon as it was time to board, she made her way quickly to the first class cabin and immediately fell into a more secluded seat by the window. It was quiet in this section of the ship - quiet enough to offer some semblance of privacy to deal with her emotions.

As she buckled herself in, her scroll buzzed with an incoming message. Pulling it out of her bag and looking down, she found Yang's picture grinning up at her. The text was simple enough - "Where are you?"

Where was she?

She was lost. Just like Ruby's memories.

Instead of responding, she turned the device off and slipped it into the pocket of her seat. It was only a few minutes later that a soft jolt swept through the ship when it disembarked from the platform and soared high into the air. Making the mistake of glancing out the window, she immediately set the glass to its most opaque setting so that she wouldn't be able to see the skyscrapers of Vale falling away - so that she wouldn't have to watch as her home disappeared from view.

When her lip quivered, she bit down on it hard enough to feel pain. Tilting her head towards the ceiling, she closed her eyes and willed the tears to return from where they'd come, and to take with them the giant sobs that wanted to wrench through her.

'Don't cry,' she chastised herself, struggling against the feeling that was growing more and more overwhelming with each passing second.

But it wasn't her place to be heartbroken over someone she'd never deserved in the first place.

Seeing Ruby's face flash across her mind, the tears instantly began to fall. Burying her face in both hands while her shoulders shook with emotion, Weiss tried to keep her sobs quiet while the airship carried her towards her new life.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't know about you guys, but I really look forward to Ruby's chapters. It's like a nice breath of rose-scented air...plus her slightly hectic thoughts.**

 **Thanks again for the support! I hope everyone's having a great President's Day weekend!**

* * *

Hands steady, eyes unblinking, she hardly allowed herself to breathe while gently piecing together two tiny wires. They were very, very important and had to be justttt riiiight…

Perfect!

Twisting them together with a sigh of relief, she pushed the magnifying glass away from her, set the piece down on the workbench, and rubbed at her tired eyes. Ever since Blake had come up with the idea to create a mechanized glove, Ruby had poured all of her time and energy into making that idea into a reality. It meant less sleep and more staring at tiny wires and circuits, but it'd be worth it in the end.

If it worked. If it didn't, then this was just a _huge_ waste of time!

The mechanics behind it were actually simpler than she'd expected them to be - and there were working versions already available that she loosely based her own design on. It would've been far easier to just buy one of those, but the prices were _way_ too high for her to ever feel comfortable asking Yang for the money. Plus, making something herself meant that she'd know exactly how to fix it if it broke, or how to upgrade it if the time ever came. Yang had been nice enough to get Ruby the materials she needed, which were pretty cheap, and the rest was all labor, learning, and pricking herself constantly with loose wires.

Everything was coming together though! With all of its mechanical elements exposed, it kind of looked like a skeleton hand - but it was functional. Definitely not pretty, but working. She hoped. Because if it _was_ working, like she was almost positively sure that it was, then she was one step closer to reaching her long-held dream of becoming a huntress.

When she'd been in full recovery mode, she'd needed a goal to focus on - something to get her out of bed and working on her therapy. Becoming a huntress was that goal. Being courageous, fighting for those who couldn't defend themselves, conquering fears...all those things drew her in. They gave her direction and determination.

But more than that, and the awesome weapons and outfits, she wanted to recapture just _one_ thing from her past. Just one! That would be enough. She was ok with being a different person now. She was who she was, after all. And that was fine, but she wanted just a _little_ piece of what had been.

If her dang ring wouldn't give her any hints about her past, then becoming a huntress would be a good second choice. She just needed her dumb hand to cooperate first. And since it wasn't going to do that on its own, she'd find a way around it!

Examining the glove lying on the workbench in front of her, she tapped a pencil against her lip while figuring out what to do next. Right now, it looked like a robot with the uncovered wires, metal connections, and chips dotting all over the place, but in its finished form it should be super awesome-looking. It was kind of like a weapon, after all! And weapons needed to be cool and fearsome. Not that Grimm really cared if a weapon had a perfectly matched color palette or an expertly painted design, but that stuff mattered to her!

There was a special metal plating she could use that would conform easily to the shape of the glove and solidify like steel. That'd be easy enough to do and not too expensive. Then the only question was what type of design she wanted to go with…

Maybe orange with black tiger stripes? That'd look dangerous and...no.

Something like a solid black might work best. Solid. Plain.

Too plain. And boring.

Oh! Flames! Adding flames to _anything_ instantly made it ten times cooler. Or _warmer_. Ah, the likelihood of Yang's horrible jokes would be high with that one, so no.

Tapping the pencil and going through every cool pattern she could think of, along with quite a few un-cool ones, she eventually realized that she was squishing Mr. Red in her left hand at the same time. It was such a habit by now that she hadn't even realized she was doing it. Holding the little red stress ball up to eye level, she poked it gently with the tip of the pencil.

"Guess I won't be needing you anymore, Mr. Red," she mused, setting him down on the workbench. Narrowing her eyes, she poked Mr. Red in the side one more time as an idea burst into her mind.

"But I _can_ make my new glove red - just like you!"

Plain, but not boring. And better yet…

"Crescent Rose will be very happy…" she muttered as she wrote the idea down on a notepad covered in various scribbles and lists of things she wanted to do. Sketching a rough hand, she then added accent lines and color blocks.

The top could be primarily red with patches of black. And the palm of the glove could be black...with red lines tracing some of the circuitry underneath.

 _Maybe_ she was a bit of a nerd, but it was her glove! There was this really nice glossy paint she'd seen at the parts store the other day that would work perfectly. She needed the same shade as Crescent Rose, obviously, because if her glove and weapon didn't match perfectly, she'd probably die.

Not literally, but it would really, really suck to have slightly different colors of red!

Satisfied with design idea number one of probably many, she tossed the pencil down and picked up the glove. Pulling it over her hand, she made sure to be _extra_ careful not to touch any of the exposed wires with her bare skin. She'd already shocked herself more than a few times (one time had left her hand tingling for a couple hours afterward...thankfully it had gone away before she'd had to tell Yang).

As soon as the glove was fitted correctly, several tiny lights flickered to life in the mechanics. They sensed the heat and pulse of her hand and powered up without the use of a button or switch. Wasn't that cool? Who wanted to mess with on/off switches anymore?

With power supplied to the circuit, the material tightened around her fingers, becoming more form-fitting than a traditional glove - more like an extra layer of skin than an article of clothing. The feeling was unfamiliar but also really cool. It made her feel more powerful in a way. If this was how Yang felt...well, no wonder she had an ego!

Chuckling to herself, Ruby silently hoped that Yang hadn't intercepted that thought through the airwaves in their home. Ruby didn't _actually_ think that, but there was definitely a certain amount of confidence in a metal-aided grip. It was like...she could totally squish a spider with her hand right now and not even blink. And she would _never_ do that with a bare hand.

Holding the glove in front of her, she checked each and every connection to make sure it was working properly. And then she checked a second time. If there was one thing she was extra careful with, it was working with weapons. Yang always teased Ruby about her meticulousness - 'Why can't you be that careful with the dishes?' Yang would whine. But if Ruby accidentally dropped a dish, it wasn't going to malfunction and squish her hand into a piece of paper. Or misfire and blow a crater in the side of the house.

...if dishes _could_ do that, she'd be much more careful with them.

Once satisfied that everything was set up and functioning correctly, she very, _very_ carefully turned her hand and wrapped it around a short metal rod she'd set out just for this purpose. No way was she putting Crescent Rose in danger for a test run!

Placing gloved fingers over the rod, she slowly curled her fingers. There was hardly any resistance from the glove, which allowed her to bend and wiggle her fingers freely. With her hand firmly curled, she lifted the piece of metal into the air.

No big deal, right? With her regular hand she could easily pick up a small pipe, but she was starting to get excited - she could feel it in the way her heartbeat was increasing and her knee was jittering uncontrollably. Because this wasn't _just_ her hand picking up the piece of metal - it was the glove she'd built and rebuilt nearly a hundred times in the past few days. And the glove was responding to her movements exactly how she'd meant it to. It reacted to the movement of her own fingers so quickly that she couldn't even tell if there was a delay.

This was totally going to work!

Now she needed to put it to the test. Wrapping her good hand around the other end of the pipe, she tugged.

Nothing. The metal didn't budge one bit, and she hardly felt any strain in her left hand.

Grinning, she pulled even harder. Playing a strange game of tug-of-war with herself, she struggled with all her might to pull the rod free with her stronger right hand. For practical purposes, she'd already done this several times wearing no glove and her right hand always won. But not this time.

Huffing from the effort, she finally released her grip and nodded with satisfaction when the glove immediately loosened. Turning the metal rod around, she grinned at what she was going to call a big success.

It worked! It really worked! At least enough to allow her weakened hand to hold its own. And that was really all she needed.

Now for the real test!

Placing the rod in her right hand, she squeezed as tight as possible before wrapping her gloved hand around the other end and yanking as hard as she could. The pipe came free so unexpectedly that she loosened her grip in surprise and sent it flying across the garage. She cringed when the metal rod flew into the ceiling with a loud clank, before ricocheting off and hitting something else that made a very distinctive glass-breaking noise. With a grimace frozen on her face, she listened intently for the sound of anyone rushing out to inspect her most recent accident.

After a few seconds of silence, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least no one had heard that, or most likely, Blake had heard it but already deemed it too innocent to investigate.

Briefly glancing in the direction the pipe had flown, she shrugged before racing out of the garage with the glove still on her hand. Blake and Yang were in the living room for the evening and Ruby was eager to show someone the progress she'd made.

"Look!" she called out as soon as she careened into the main room of the house, finding both of her roommates curled up on the sofa watching a movie. Since Blake had paused the movie the moment the garage door opened, Ruby wasted no time jumping in front of them and holding up her left hand.

"Look!" she repeated. "It works!"

Curling and uncurling her fingers, she grinned at her sister while the glove responded in kind.

"No way! That's great, Ruby!"

Nodding her head, she looked down at the glove. "Yeah! I finally got the calibration right. See, this transmitter here wasn't communicating with the receiver in the fingers, so I moved it closer, which meant I had to relocate the processor and reset all the connections…"

Yang's eyes glossed over while Ruby was speaking, so she quit the technical mumbo-jumbo and settled for a demonstration. Grabbing a magazine off of the pile on the coffee table, she gripped it firmly in her left hand and held it out to Yang.

"Here, try to take it away!"

Seeing the greedy look in her sister's eyes, she immediately jerked the magazine back and offered it to Blake instead, giving Yang a look that said she knew exactly what her sister had been about to do. Blake would be a much better test for this than Yang's super strength. Plus, Blake wouldn't pull as hard as possible just to prove who was stronger. It was a _test_ , not a competition!

Reaching up, Blake grabbed onto the end of the magazine with both hands and tugged - gently at first, before pulling down with much more effort. Ruby planted her feet to keep herself from sliding forward, but her hand was never in any danger of letting go. In fact, with just one hand she was winning a tug-of-war where Blake was using _both_ hands!

"See?" she said while Blake repositioned her hands, which had been slipping on the glossy cover. "It's actually _better_ than a regular hand because -"

A loud ripping sound filled the air - right before the resistance she'd been pulling against completely disappeared, sending her crashing backwards into the coffee table. It broke when she landed on it, of course, sending her to the floor in a pile of magazines and broken wood.

The next sound Ruby heard was laughter - lots of it.

"Owww…" she mumbled, sitting up and finding both Blake and Yang crumbling with giggles.

"Are you ok?" Blake managed to gasp. Yang couldn't even get out any words to ask if Ruby was ok!

"I'm fineee," she whined, pushing herself to her feet while trying not to slip on the pile of magazines littering the floor. Then she realized that her left hand was still holding onto something. She held up the half of a magazine triumphantly.

"Aha! I never dropped it, see?" she exclaimed. Still laughing, Blake held up the other half of the magazine while Yang very audibly gasped.

"You tore Gav-y in half!"

Ruby didn't get a chance to look at the cover before Yang yanked it easily from her grasp and held it up to see. Laughing even harder, Blake threw the other half into Yang's lap.

"The table is crushed, but the _magazine_ is the real loss," Blake giggled at the look of dismay on Yang's face.

Turning around, Ruby surveyed the damage she'd done to the table. Crushed was a good word for it, or flattened, pulverized, broken beyond repair...

"We can always get a new table, but _this_ -" Yang shoved the ripped picture out for them to see. " _This_ can never be replaced!"

When Ruby and Blake laughed at the overreaction, Yang finally broke into an easygoing smile and tossed the magazine halves onto the side of the sofa.

"But that's really cool, Ruby. Definitely works, but is it always gonna look so...skeleton-y?" Yang pointed to the exposed wires.

"Oh, no. I need to finish the plating next - shouldn't take too long though!" Pulling at the tip of each fingertip before carefully removing the glove, Ruby held it by the very edge like a piece of dirty laundry. The wires, remember? That little thing called electrocution? She'd already forgotten that slightly important fact a few too many times...

"I'll pick those up," she said, pointing to the mess on the ground before racing back to the garage.

One of the first things she'd had to do when starting this project was build a special stand that the glove could go on while she was working on it. It wasn't much more than small pieces of wood stuck together with wires that looked _vaguely_ like a hand, but it served its purpose admirably.

Blake had offered to steal a hand off one of those mannequin things from the department stores, but Ruby hadn't been entirely sure if that was a joke or not...so she'd built her own!

Fitting the glove over the stand, situating each finger just perfectly, she then made sure everything in her work area was turned off before heading back into the house for the night. She would work more if she could, but she needed to get that plating next - and the paint too!

Hopping back into the living room, Ruby found that Yang and Blake hadn't moved from the sofa, but also hadn't resumed their movie. Yang was whispering something into Blake's ear, but pulled away as soon as Ruby jogged around the sofa to start cleaning up the mess she'd made. When she noticed Blake and Yang moving to help, she waved at them to sit back down.

"Don't worry, I got it!" she said before turning back to her task. It was her mess, after all. Only fair that she be the one to clean it up.

When the two fell back into their seats, Yang wrapped one arm behind Blake's back and began gently rubbing Blake's cat ears - which Blake didn't let _anyone_ but Yang do. Ruby had always wanted to though, because they looked so fuzzy and soft! But it made sense. They seemed very private and not something people should just go around grabbing. Like if someone were to touch Ruby's boots. She didn't know if she'd like someone touching her boots. They were very personal to her. Her _feet_ went in them.

"How long until you're ready to use it?" Yang asked, as Ruby made another stack of dumb fashion magazines off to the side of the room.

"Pretty soon! A few days, maybe?"

Plating, painting, final calibration and tests. This was the home stretch, for sure. _Then_ the fun part could begin - where she tried to figure out how to use her newest creation in combination with Crescent Rose. Theoretically it should be easy, but a _lot_ of things were easy in theory. Math, cooking, gravity...

Just then, there was a soft knocking at the door - a sound that was so foreign Ruby didn't even know what it was at first. It was only when Yang giggled that Ruby knew she wasn't hearing things and someone had just knocked on the door.

"Looks like someone missed an intruder," Yang teased Blake while Ruby abandoned the pile of magazines and skipped over to the front door. Throwing it open, she discovered the _best_ part of the night.

"Weiss!" she exclaimed, hardly able to conceal her excitement at finding Weiss standing outside. "Come in!"

Waving the girl inside, Ruby let Weiss walk through the door before closing it and racing around to stand in front of her.

"What're you doing here?"

It was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise!

"I thought it was a rather nice night out...and that maybe you'd like to go for a walk with me?"

The invitation was hesitant, but Ruby still grinned. She'd gladly go with Weiss just about anywhere! Except into a volcano or something, but this was exactly what Ruby had _secretly_ hoped for when she'd invited Weiss to come over anytime. Anytime, as in whenever. Anytime, as in right now!

"I'd love to!"

Hearing a slightly disgruntled grumble from the living room, Ruby's grin fell a bit in confusion. Turning away from Weiss, she watched Yang abruptly stand from the sofa and brush past with a shake of her head. Ruby's eyes trailed her sister down the hallway before giving Blake a look of concern. After a soft sigh, Blake stood to follow.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to her," she whispered, squeezing Ruby's elbow reassuringly before giving Weiss a smile and nod. "You two have fun," she said a little louder before exiting.

Nodding, Ruby turned back to find Weiss' brow was furrowed in thought, her eyes trained down the hallway. Yeah, maybe that wasn't the _best_ way to start the night, but Yang had promised! If it wasn't ok for Weiss to be around, she would say so. Until then, she was just being a big ol' grump.

"Don't worry about her," Ruby said, nudging Weiss' shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring. "She's just upset cuz Blake and I tore Gavin in half."

When Ruby held up the destroyed magazine as evidence, Weiss looked a tad confused.

"Why would you do that?" she asked before her blue eyes flickered to the living room. "And what happened to the table?"

Chuckling at the shocked question, Ruby scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"We, uh, had a bit of an accident. Turns out the table wasn't built strong enough to support a human being! Who might've...fallen on top of it…"

Grinning sheepishly, Ruby's explanation drew a far more thoughtful expression from Weiss.

"Are you alright?"

"Hey! What makes you think it was me?" Ruby whined, finally succeeding in making Weiss smile.

"It seems like something that might happen to you."

"It did!" Ruby replied, before hopping over to the hall closet to find a coat. "I'm totally fine though! And I'll clean up the rest later - wanna go?"

Getting a nod in response, she opened the front door and waited for Weiss to walk out first. That was the polite thing to do, right? As soon as they were outside, Ruby realized that it _was_ really nice out! Kinda chilly, but perfect with a coat, and with a nice wind that was making the leaves of the trees in their neighborhood rustle soothingly.

Picking a direction, towards a small park not too far away, they set off together - their soft footsteps on the sidewalk adding to the sound of the leaves and wind. For a few moments, it was silent between the two of them. Although not nearly as uncomfortable as usual, Ruby still felt the need to break it.

"Soo….did you have a good day?" she asked, turning to the side to look at Weiss.

"It was...I guess I could say it was good. How was yours?"

"Mine was great!" she immediately answered, adding a little hop for emphasis. "I'm almost finished with this big project I've been working on. And Yang made me pancakes for breakfast!"

When Weiss turned towards Ruby for a second, it was with sad eyes. The glance quickly moved away - back to the sidewalk while they walked onward - but it was enough for Ruby to feel some of the grief Weiss had just displayed.

"She's a great sister…" Weiss replied in a soft voice. "And, if I remember correctly, she makes excellent pancakes."

It sounded like Weiss was already moving on from that blip of sadness, but Ruby thought this might be the perfect place to inject some positive vibes - Encouragement 101! Or Don't Give Up Trying to Be Friends Again 101!

When Ruby held out one arm, Weiss bumped into it, stopped walking and turned towards Ruby with a puzzled expression.

"She can't stay mad forever, you know. You'll be best friends again before you know it!"

Weiss deflected the encouragement with a small smile and solemn shake of her head.

"Things won't ever be the same though."

"But things never stay the same!" Ruby immediately replied. Her mind was scrambling to think of something else to say - something that would break through Weiss' superior barriers. "Things are always changing! The only thing that never changes is...that things are always changing…" she looked at Weiss to see if she was making a dent in the sadness. Receiving a half-smile, she felt her spirits lift like she'd just won one of those rigged carnival games.

"From wherever you are, you just try to make things better," she mused, swinging her arms as they continued their stroll. "Even when we feel lost, we always have a direction - towards whatever's better! As long as you keep working towards that, you'll never lose your way."

At the end of her rambling, Ruby nodded. It sounded pretty profound to her. Although she couldn't quite remember everything she'd just said…

"And what is 'better' for you?"

The question made her pause. What was better to her?

"I want to be...stronger, I guess. Better at fighting so that I can protect people like Yang and Blake do. Oh, and maybe better at talking to people!"

That last sentence actually made Weiss grin - a weird kind of half grin, half pleased smirk Ruby had never seen before. But she liked it - it was really cute.

"You're better at that than you think."

"Really?" Ruby exclaimed, not expecting that response in a hundred thousand years. "I've always been super awkward. I don't know what to say or when to say it, so I just kinda...spew out random words."

Weiss nodded. "It's part of your charm."

The term made Ruby giggle automatically. Weiss thought she was _charming_. Like a prince! Or a really well-dressed cat.

Reaching the intersection that separated them from the park, Ruby looked both ways down the dimly lit street before crossing to the grass on the other side. She didn't come to the park during the day because there were always a lot of kids around, but at night after the sun went down it was usually empty. The lack of light gave everything a creepy air, with the park fixtures rising out of the ground like playground skeletons. The teeter totter sat unused, the jungle gym all jungle and no gym, and the swings...the swings were moving! Oh god, why were they -

The wind. Of course. It was breezy. The wind was moving the swings, making the chains sway lightly back and forth under their own free will. Mystery solved! But...they were going to walk towards the other side of the park just to be safe. And they should probably stick a little closer together…

Suddenly realizing that she was all alone, Ruby spun around (super calmly) and noticed that Weiss had stopped walking several paces back.

"Weiss?"

Walking back, Ruby tilted her head and looked down into light blue eyes.

"I feel like I've been here before…" Weiss muttered, gaze flashing rapidly around the area. "A long time ago…"

Confused, Ruby looked around the park once more. There was nothing that seemed particularly unique other than the ghost swings and, now, Weiss' kinda eerie muttering.

"Maybe it was a different park?" Ruby offered helpfully. "I'm sure they all look about the same."

Glancing around for a few more seconds, Weiss finally nodded and moved forward.

"You're right. Probably just a similar one."

Grinning now that they were on their way again, Ruby noticed that even though the wind had died down, Weiss' hands were trembling.

"Do you want my jacket?" Ruby gestured towards Weiss' hands, right before they were stuffed into pockets and out of view.

"No, that's alright. It's not too cold yet."

"Ok, but if you _do_ get cold -" Ruby's offer went uncompleted when Weiss turned to her with a smile.

"I'll make sure to let you know."

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby stuck her hands in her own pockets while they continued their walk. There was a trail looping around the entire perimeter of the park that they were currently using, with the playground in the center. The entire area was partially lit by a few lamp posts placed here and there, but mostly by the moon up above.

Their pace was leisurely, without a destination or timeline. It was Ruby's least favorite way to walk, but with Weiss it was actually pretty enjoyable.

"So...what's this big project you're working on?" Weiss asked, breaking the silence Ruby hadn't yet noticed.

"Oh! I'm making a glove for myself - kinda like an assisted grip that'll make my fingers stronger than they actually are."

Excited to talk about her newest project, Ruby flexed her left hand out in front several times as an example.

"How are you powering it?"

"Aura - that's the best way to power things these days, isn't it?"

Brow creasing thoughtfully, Weiss held out her own hand and examined it closely.

"But...how are you fitting the Aura chip and all of the processors into something that small?"

Ruby's jaw nearly unhinged and fell off at the question. Because that was like...a legitimately good question! It was something hardly anyone thought about either - everyone wants their weapons to do the coolest things, but never consider how _little_ space there is to work with!

If Ruby hadn't liked Weiss before, she certainly did now. Who would've thought that Weiss was knowledgeable in weapons creation? Ruby definitely hadn't, but she learned something new every day! What other crazy topics did Weiss know a lot about?

Guess this was part of the whole 'getting to know each other' phase Blake had talked about - and boy was she ever right! There was a _lot_ to know about Weiss.

"I modified all the chips so they'd fit!" Ruby explained excitedly. Yang never wanted to hear about how Ruby made things work - she was much more interested in results rather than what produced those results. But for Ruby part of the fun was learning _how_ things worked, not just whether or not they did. "I had to stack 'em in some places, but I created a tiny pocket of circulation using these itty bitty pins that are basically impossible to break."

"That's really impressive."

Ruby's cheeks heated up at the unexpected compliment.

"I'm sure you could've done the same thing if you tried!"

"I really couldn't - believe me," Weiss replied with a reassuring smile. "It's great to hear that you're making progress though."

"Yeah, finally!" Ruby replied while throwing her arms up in the air. "It's taken so long...and honestly if Blake hadn't had this idea, I don't know how good I could ever be."

"I'm sure you'd be successful regardless."

"I dunno about that…" she replied with a chuckle and shake of her head.

"I do," Weiss replied, her tone uncharacteristically firm. "If it was your goal, nothing would stop you."

Weiss glanced at Ruby out of the corner of one eye before adding, "You just seem like that type of person. Someone with a great deal of...talent."

One thing Ruby was absolutely _not_ talented at was receiving so many compliments in a row. There were so many people far more talented than she was!

"Well _you_ seem like someone with a lot of secrets!" Ruby teased in return, leaning forward to gaze into Weiss' eyes as if maybe some of those secrets would be written there. It was meant to be friendly, hinting that Weiss was extra mysterious, but Weiss quickly looked away - like she didn't want Ruby to find out what those secrets could be.

"Secrets, maybe. Mistakes, definitely…"

"We've all made mistakes!" Ruby replied.

"But I've made ones that hurt the people I care most about…"

Boy, Weiss was hard on herself. It made Ruby really sad. There was something about seeing Weiss unhappy that reached deep down and squeezed Ruby's heart in a painful way. The urge to cheer Weiss up grew stronger in Ruby's chest - something she'd willingly try to do in any way possible.

Maybe it was being a part of such a high-profile family...Ruby could only guess how difficult that must be. There must be so much more pressure than anything she'd ever dealt with. But in her eyes, Weiss was an incredible person! Smart, generous, beautiful...Weiss was _amazing_ \- if only Ruby could convince her that that was true.

Sticking both hands in her front pockets, Ruby slowed her pace to a stop while Weiss did the same. Now standing side-by-side, Ruby looked up and let out an exhale that was only _partly_ nerves.

"The moon is pretty tonight," she commented, trying to sound nonchalant while her hands fidgeted in her pockets, finding stray pieces of thread and pulling at them.

"It is. I love when it's clear like this," Weiss replied, gazing up with her.

There was another silence while the two of them looked up at Remnant's moon - this one even more comfortable than the last. But Ruby knew what she wanted to say next, she just had to find a way to say it out loud.

"Isn't it interesting," she eventually spit out, making sure not to look away from the moon even though she felt Weiss' eyes turn to her. "Even though it's broken and covered in craters, we still find it beautiful. Like...it's obviously not perfect, but maybe that's part of what makes it beautiful."

Ruby finally turned towards Weiss and smiled.

"Kinda like people, right?"

From the way Weiss stared - blue eyes searching Ruby's for something - Ruby guessed there was no verbal response coming. That probably meant that Weiss hadn't been entirely convinced by the foolproof argument...but how could that _not_ have worked? The moon was far from perfect - people were far from perfect. If the moon could still be beautiful, why couldn't people still be beautiful too?

Ok, time to bring out the big guns. And by that, she meant Mom-isdom!

"My mom used to say that people are at their best right after they've been at their worst. That only after they've seen the bad in themselves can they learn the good they're capable of." The saying drew her gaze back to the moon, with a soft tug on her heart for her mom.

"Then I guess I'll be learning what good I'm capable of soon."

The words made Ruby smile up towards the sky. Mom-isdoms always worked. Like, one hundred percent of the time.

Feeling a tug of sadness that there would never be new Mom-isdoms added to her collection, Ruby's smiled faded away. One of the many things she'd lost was five years of grieving for her mom. Had it ever gotten easier to be apart? Had Ruby ever stopped missing her this way?

Maybe in four more years, she would know...

When a soft hand brushed hers, Ruby looked down, but it must have been an accident from the way Weiss quickly jerked away. However, she seemed to have lost a lot of that gloomy aura. Mission successful, for now!

"It sounds like she was very wise," Weiss commented, finally meeting Ruby's eyes again.

"She was!" When the momentary longing disappeared, Ruby smiled and pointed up towards the moon. "You see that little piece right there? The one that looks kinda like a bunny's nose?"

Standing with their shoulders barely touching, Weiss's eyes followed the direction of Ruby's point before she nodded.

"When we die our souls don't fade away," Ruby explained. "They have to go somewhere - into the grass, or the stars, or the leaves. And the souls who helped a lot of people while they were alive get someplace extra special. They get to be up in the sky watching over us at night, still guiding us even when they're gone. My mom's not here anymore. She...she helped a lot of people though...and, well, now she's up there."

Yang explained it much better than Ruby did.

"In the moon?"

"Yup! Up there...making sure Yang and I are safe at night..." Ruby smiled again. "Sometimes I can hear her in the wind, like she's trying to speak to me - telling me that she's proud of me, I hope. Although I'm pretty sure sometimes she's just reminding me to lock the front door."

Chuckling lightly, Ruby smiled at Weiss.

"How can you be so sure?" Weiss asked quietly.

As a breeze blew across them, Ruby closed her eyes and inhaled. It smelled like grass and dirt and air - like the outdoors - but it filled her with a sense of peace. Like she could stand in this small breath of air forever and be completely content. The breeze wasn't blowing against her, but surrounding her - embracing her just like her mom once had.

Only when the wind ceased did she open her eyes, finding Weiss watching her with a difficult-to-place expression.

"I'm not sure," Ruby replied plainly. "But it's nice to believe in something, don't you think?"

Again, there was unmistakable sadness in clear blue eyes.

"Sometimes it's hard. To believe..." Weiss finally responded, her eyes refusing to meet Ruby's again.

"Yeah...but do you wanna know something I learned from all my injuries?" Ruby asked, continuing only when Weiss turned back and nodded. "I learned that when you feel knocked down you can always get back up. Even when you think you can't move another inch, that you can't lift your arm one _inch_ higher, you somehow can. You just have to believe that whatever pain you're feeling right now is only temporary. Because that's what life is - temporary. We have to live it to its fullest while we can."

Weiss made a soft 'hmm' sound while looking away, prompting Ruby to continue.

"Don't give up, Weiss. Maybe Yang's making it difficult, and maybe it's not even Yang that you're talking about, but whatever it is you can get through it. In the end, it'll be worth it."

Lifting her left arm, Ruby curled her fingers into a fist. The motion was easy now, but nearly impossible a year ago. Looking from Ruby's fist to her eyes and back again, Weiss finally smiled.

"When did you get so smart?"

"After years of making stupid decisions, maybe?" Ruby joked, grinning when Weiss laughed in response.

"I'm sure that might have helped."

Chuckling at the good-natured tease, Ruby quickly scanned the park and found that the two of them were completely alone.

"You know, I come here to practice my semblance sometimes," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "I'm not really _supposed_ to, but sometimes I don't want to dodge all the trees in the woods."

"Can I see?"

That was _exactly_ the question she was hoping Weiss would ask.

"Wait right here," she said, directing Weiss over to a park bench off the path. "I'll be back in a _flash_."

Ruby didn't get a chance to see Weiss' response before blasting away with her semblance firing on all cylinders. Open ground...it was _so_ much easier to run when she didn't have to focus so much energy on dodging trees! And branches...when moving this fast, branches didn't exactly show up on radar. Especially the small ones, and those hurt like whips.

Making a giant loop around the park two times in a few seconds, she decided to try something a little more challenging. Reversing direction, she ran back towards Weiss at top speed. Before Weiss could even react, Ruby would stop and calmly sit down on the bench next to her. How cool would that be?

Flying straight at the park bench, Ruby pulled the brake an impressive two feet away. At least, it would've been impressive if she'd actually managed to stop moving two feet away. But instead of stopping on a dime - like she'd been trying to do - she tripped over her own legs, flew forward and flipped over the bench before finally stopping as expected, but on the ground with an audible crunch.

Yup. Her back was definitely broken this time.

"Ruby! Are you alright?"

Flying to Ruby's side, Weiss was instantly kneeling down with both hands extended, like she didn't know what to do with them in order to help. And she was _concerned_ \- she looked even more worried than Yang did whenever Ruby got hurt.

"Yeahhhh…." Ruby groaned while propping herself up on her elbows. "Took a big hit to my pride though…"

The words made Weiss let out a big sigh of relief. Leaning back on her heels and dropping her hands to her sides, she managed a small smile.

"That was quite an impressive somersault you did though."

"Yeah? You really think so? I could probably do one even better!"

This time Weiss actually chuckled, shaking her head as she stood and pulled Ruby back to her feet. "Sometimes you're just like your sister."

"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked, brushing dirt off of her pants.

"Yang would be competitive about something even if she was bad at it."

Grinning, Ruby puffed out her chest with pride.

"If we're gonna be bad at something, we're gonna be the worst you've ever seen!"

This time when Weiss laughed there was a sparkle was in her eyes - that same sparkle that made a warm feeling spread through Ruby's chest. This was a different version of Weiss, one that was buried deep under uncertainty and sadness. But it was there all the same! Maybe with more time, this happier version of Weiss would appear more often. Ruby would really like for that to happen.

Even though Ruby was pleasantly warmed by the feeling stirring inside her, it seemed like Weiss was not as warm from the nearly invisible shiver Ruby couldn't help but notice. It had gotten late and that meant the breeze was getting chillier every minute. Darn night time.

"Should we head back now?" Ruby offered, receiving a nod in response.

As they headed back towards the neighborhoods, she was still worried that Weiss might be cold. There didn't seem to be anymore shivers, but that didn't mean she wasn't cold!

On a whim, Ruby hesitantly looped one arm inside Weiss'. When Weiss didn't immediately pull away, Ruby took it as a good sign and tugged them together. It made her heart beat like crazy to be this close - close enough that a bit of heat was shared between them - but hopefully it would help keep Weiss warm. Because that's what friends did, right? They looked out for one another.

Which brought another thought to the front of Ruby's mind - Weiss was really skinny. Like, skinny enough to make Ruby vaguely worried. It was all well and good to be thin, but something told her that Weiss shouldn't be _quite_ this skinny. Small, sure, but not...frail?

While Ruby tried to hatch a plan that would get Weiss to eat more, Weiss seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Arm-in-arm, they walked nearly an entire neighborhood block in complete silence. Nearly a half-dozen times Ruby nearly said something, but decided against it in each instance. It was really weird for quiet to be simultaneously comfortable and uncomfortable, but that's what it seemed to be with Weiss.

Surprisingly, it was Weiss who broke the silence as they headed across a deserted street towards the next block of sleepy homes.

"If you were trying to get back on your sister's good side, what would you do?"

"I'd give her my best puppy dog eyes!" Ruby immediately answered with a grin. "Do you have good puppy dog eyes?"

Weiss laughed at the question and shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't. Schnees aren't really ones for begging."

"Then maybe you could...oh! You should totally bribe her with some AchieveMen tickets!"

Now _that_ was a pretty genius idea. And Weiss seemed to agree by the considerate expression on her lips.

"She's still obsessed with them?"

"Completely!"

Thinking on the suggestion for another second, Weiss finally nodded her head.

"That's actually a very good idea. Thank you."

Ruby brushed off the thanks that she was secretly really pleased at receiving.

"No problem! And if you need any help - you know where to find me!" She pointed towards her home as it came into view. There was a car parked in front that must be Weiss' - a fact that was confirmed when Weiss stopped walking in front of it moments later.

"Thank you...for indulging me," she said with a smile that Ruby gladly returned.

"Anytime! I could use the extra exercise."

That was probably the moment when one of them should turn and walk away, but instead they remained rooted in place, smiling at each other. It was weird, right? To want to spend so much time with someone she'd just met? But Yang called Ruby weird all the time - guess she should just roll with it.

"If you're not too busy with important work stuff, you could totally stop by tomorrow too," Ruby suggested, trying not to sound _too_ pushy about it.

"Really?" Weiss seemed genuinely surprised by the invitation, but hopefully in a good way.

"Sure! I'll be here all day, so anytime you're free." Briefly, Ruby wondered if she sounded desperate, but that thought was quickly destroyed when Weiss smiled.

"I'll come by as soon as I'm free."

The positive reply lit a huge smile on Ruby's face in no time.

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

When Weiss nodded another time, Ruby gave one last parting grin before skipping up the sidewalk to the front door. Once there, she turned before opening it and watched while Weiss got into the car - sending one wave before driving away.

Even when the car turned onto the next street and the headlights disappeared from view, Ruby was content to stand by the front door and stare after it.

There was something about Weiss that was...comforting...in a way. It was a little strange because Weiss didn't really _seem_ like a soothing person, but maybe it was the way she listened so closely when Ruby was talking. Or always had the patience to listen to rants and rambles and random bits of conversation. Or it was the way Weiss looked at Ruby and made her feel like she was the only one in the world.

Whatever it was, it made Weiss easy to talk to and easy to be around. And it made Ruby _want_ to spend time together. Even if it meant less time went towards her training! That would be a sacrifice she'd be willing to make, in the name of friendship.

Remarkably, she was more interested in learning about Weiss' past than her own - if only so that she might be able to help Weiss. Everyone had scars - Ruby knew that from personal experience - but Weiss seemed to be struggling with hers. Hopefully, it was nothing some good old-fashioned friendship and redemption couldn't help cure! Ruby would willingly be Weiss' friend and help her through whatever this was, and in the process get Yang and Weiss back on speaking terms. All while Ruby became a huntress again!

Her plate was a little full now, but that didn't bother her one bit. It had only been a few days ago that she'd wondered what she was supposed to do with all the newfound energy and life she'd reclaimed upon getting better. It hadn't taken very long for her to figure out an answer - it had literally knocked on their front door! Well, technically Weiss hadn't been able to knock the first night because Yang had opened the door first, but the analogy still worked!

Satisfied with the evening, Ruby looked up at the moon - which was still crystal clear in the night sky. Sucking in a huge breath of refreshing night air, she exhaled it loudly.

"What do you think?" she asked, eyes never leaving the small fraction of moon she could see with her eyes closed. A gust of cold wind blew across her not a second later, raising goosebumps on her arms and making her shiver lightly. Wrapping both arms around herself, she grinned.

"Yeah, I think she's cool too."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there, another chapter here! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed - I've enjoyed reading them greatly.**

* * *

A faint buzzing sound dragged her attention away from the quarterly report she'd been half-heartedly attempting to read for the past half hour. Glancing at her scroll, she sighed out loud when she saw the familiar picture displayed front and center on the screen.

A call had certainly been expected, especially since she'd been doing a miserable job of fulfilling her end of their agreement. Regardless, she had the unshakable suspicion that this would be another mental state check-in...and she avoided those at all costs. But she couldn't just _ignore_ the call - not this time at least.

So she set down the report and forced a smile onto her lips - an act proven to make one's voice sound lighter and more upbeat - and clicked the 'accept' button.

"Winter - to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"It's obvious when you're faking happiness, you know," Winter replied, using bluntness in lieu of a formal greeting. Immediately dropping the act, Weiss shook her head. She should've known better than to try to fool Winter with a tactic that she'd all but perfected herself.

"I was calling to ask why I keep hearing about a broken light."

Weiss stifled the urge to groan at the mystery that had evaded her ever since she'd returned to Vale.

"It's some sort of system glitch. Someone will figure it out eventually," she downplayed. Three electricians had already come to the house and none of them could figure out what was wrong with the sensor in the upstairs living room. Each of them had taken it apart, sworn to have fixed the problem, and then left. But as soon as they were gone the lights would turn on again. And the property security guard...bless his soul...had been absolutely no help. 'Did you call an electrician?'

"Let me know if you need any help," Winter offered, although she seemed less than eager in assisting with trivial technical issues. "How is everything else?"

Ah - the crux of the call had come out. Clearly the broken lights had only been Winter's excuse to call out of the blue. Apparently Weiss wasn't the only one whose actions could be glaringly transparent...

"Everything is going well," she answered while waving an employee carrying a stack of forms out of the temporary office she'd been assigned in Vale. "I'm sure you've heard that we've surpassed our quarterly expectations early and are looking to revise estimates next week."

"Yes, business is doing well, as usual. But how are _you_ doing?"

"I'm fine."

There was no hesitation in Weiss' reply - using her customary response without daring to pause and evaluate her own mental state. Some things were better left alone.

However, the long stretch of silence on the other end of the call told her that Winter understood as much about the answer as Weiss did.

"And how is everything outside of the office?" Winter followed up.

"It's...progressing."

 _That_ situation was far too complicated to even begin to discuss right now. How could Weiss ever describe how different Ruby had become, while also remaining the same? How could she explain what it felt like to be together after all this time apart - only for Ruby to not remember how close they'd once been? How could she accurately portray the conflict she was suffering in her emotions - the hope, pain, fear, longing, and excitement that ebbed and flowed with no pattern.

Again, some things were better left alone.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your day," Winter finally relented after several more seconds of silence. "Call me if you ever need anything, understood?"

As usual, Winter refrained from prying too much into Weiss' life - even though she likely wanted to. But they each had their own habits, each so set in stone it would take an earthquake to crack them.

"Of course."

Weiss liked to believe that if push came to shove she would turn to Winter for help. But the problems she would enlist her sister's help in solving would be anything involving a need for a personal army or excessively grandiose display of power and force. Matters of the mind or heart...those were for her to figure out on her own.

"Good. You're as precious as the stars to me, you realize."

"And you, the sun," Weiss replied on instinct. Their family didn't exactly throw the word 'love' around, but Winter had always expressed the emotion to Weiss in this way. At first, Weiss had believed that her sister was just extraordinarily poetic, but eventually she'd understood that it was Winter's way of telling Weiss that she was loved without invoking the wrath of their father.

'Love? Love is for the common folk who live in dreams. We don't dream - we _do_.'

Having escaped her father's chains, Weiss now understood that it was important for every child to feel loved by someone in their lives. Winter had provided that as best she could - and then Weiss had gone to Beacon, where she'd discovered Ruby.

"Call me soon?" Winter asked. This time Weiss did sigh at the request, but in pretend exasperation.

"Can't we just exchange messages? It's far more convenient than a lengthy phone call."

"You continue to age me, Weiss," Winter replied with a soft chuckle. "I like to hear your voice, alright? You can spare two minutes to pick up the scroll and call your dear sister once and awhile."

"Fine...I'll try to be better," Weiss replied with a small smile and roll of her eyes. "Promise."

"That's what I like to hear. Enjoy your day, Weiss. We'll speak again soon."

"Yes, soon."

When the call clicked off, Weiss watched the picture of her sister until it disappeared from the screen. Sighing again, she set her scroll down on the desk and tapped her fingers beside it.

Winter worried about her. Weiss understood why, but as close as they were she'd never even attempted to explain to Winter what she was going through. It was difficult and unnerving to discuss her innermost feelings with anyone other than Ruby. Feelings were weaknesses. At least, that's what her father had always told her.

Saying that she was 'fine' was easier than trying to untangle the web of thoughts occupying her mind at any one particular time. And maybe she was fine - maybe this was the new definition of fine. At least she no longer felt like she was constantly teetering on the edge, waiting for the slightest gust of wind to decide her fate. There was a greater sense of purpose in being back in Vale, and having a purpose made her feel more...in control of her emotions.

It didn't take much deductive reasoning to surmise that it was being near Ruby that gave Weiss this feeling of purpose. The closeness to her former partner also sent her memories aflutter, bringing back many that took her breath away. Sometimes simple things - like the park they'd walked through - set off her emotions when they wouldn't have in Atlas. The combination of Ruby and the swingset and the jungle gym had sent Weiss tumbling back to the time they'd inadvertently skipped classes and spent the day at a park together. Being the straight-laced rule follower, she'd been a nervous wreck until Ruby had calmly ordered her to get on the swings - as team leader, of course.

The two of them had just…'hung out.' It had been the first time Weiss had ever missed a class, and she'd enjoyed it immensely. Clambering through the jungle gym like children...spinning sickeningly fast on the merry-go-round...sitting on the swings talking for hours...somehow Ruby got Weiss to enjoy all of the things she'd once looked down upon for being too juvenile or immature.

And when they'd finally made it back to Beacon they hadn't even gotten in trouble, because Blake and Yang had covered for them with all of their teachers.

That was only one of the multitude of memories that were popping up out of the blue here in Vale. Weiss was trying to hold them in check, but at certain points she found it difficult to separate past from present. How long would it be until someone else noticed the broken fragments of her mind? How long until Ruby realized just how damaged Weiss was? Ruby had worked so hard to get to where she was today...how could Weiss' presence possibly be beneficial to her life?

That was a thread she didn't dare pull at right now. The answer seemed far too obvious for her to ever want to acknowledge.

Gathering up a few belongings, she abandoned the quarterly report and snuck out of the office before the man with the stack of paperwork could come back and find her. Even though she was only working in a limited capacity while in Vale, there seemed to be a never-ending amount of work that only she could sign as a Schnee. On any other day she would've been willing to put in the necessary time, but today she'd gladly canceled and rescheduled every appointment so that she could see Ruby as early as possible.

Well...not _quite_ as early as possible. If Weiss thought that she could get away with showing up before the sun had risen she might have, but proper manners told her that waiting until later in the day was more appropriate. Now that lunch was nearly over, she saw no issue with rushing over to the small home - which was growing more and more familiar with each passing visit.

The good news, if there was any, was that the sidewalk leading up to Ruby's front door no longer felt like it was made of wet cement. It certainly helped that Weiss had been officially invited this time. Coming up with excuses on her own caused Weiss to feel somewhat like an intruder barging into their lives. Knowing that she was expected and most importantly, wanted, allowed her feet to pass freely up the front step, but her nerves steadily built while she summoned the courage to knock. Her options of people who might be behind the door were - a chest full of butterflies, a sigh of relief, or...a potential trip to the emergency room.

Raising her hand, she was surprised when she actually had the time to knock twice. A few moments later heavy footsteps neared the door. The steps so clearly belonged to Yang that Weiss almost retreated back to her vehicle to try again later, but she didn't make the decision to run quickly enough - leaving her partially turned when Yang pulled open the door.

It was probably a normal motion for her, but it sounded like Yang was trying to tear the door from its hinges. When her eyes settled upon Weiss, the sparkle and mirth seemed to drain right out of them.

"Oh."

That was the only response Yang gave before abandoning the door and walking to the kitchen. Taking that lukewarm welcome as her cue to enter, Weiss stepped hesitantly inside and closed the door behind her.

"Is Ruby here?" she asked, standing uncomfortably in the entryway while Yang took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Yes."

After waiting for further explanation and receiving nothing, Weiss crept a few steps closer.

"Where is she?" she finally asked after concluding that Yang wasn't going offer up the information freely. Which was fine. Chummy conversation was for friends, and that's definitely not what they were right now - as much as that pained Weiss to admit.

"Out in the woods catching butterflies."

The statement made Weiss let out a huff of disbelief, which Yang returned with a steely gaze.

Right, jokes were also between friends...

"You're serious?"

"Yes. She likes to use her semblance to catch them."

Maybe it was just her, but Yang's eyes were darker than she remembered. She'd always thought of them along the lines of light lilac, but the eyes staring back at her right now were more royal than anything else.

"You can go find her if you want. Should be easy enough," Yang added flippantly, turning that gaze back to the magazine lying open on the table and waving dismissively in the direction of the back yard.

Moving that direction, Weiss' feet then stopped and she turned uncertainly back towards the kitchen. She hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Yang privately since she'd returned, mostly because Yang didn't seem to want to, but it was still Yang - at one point in time, they'd been as close as sisters. Surely they could find a way to at least co-exist in the same space. It wasn't as if Weiss was _proud_ of what she'd done - she was ashamed. And she wanted to apologize.

But as she stood there watching Yang casually turn one page, Weiss couldn't even begin to think of what to say. How could she start a conversation with someone she'd hurt so badly?

After waiting too long, Yang looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"Do you want something?"

From the curt tone, Weiss knew that forgiveness was still a long ways off.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I was just…"

There were so many things she wanted to say - so many questions she needed answered - so many blanks to be filled in. How was Ruby doing, really? What kind of things did she remember? Where _exactly_ did the memories stop? Why did she think she was training to be a huntress again?

But all of those questions seemed far too close to a very sore subject.

"I'm surprised you and Blake decided to live out here," Weiss finally commented, gesturing towards the wall of the room they were in. "I thought you'd be living...somewhere more comfortable."

"We are comfortable," Yang replied tersely. "And we haven't touched your guilt money, if that's what you're talking about. It's sitting in the bank somewhere."

The retort left Weiss in stunned disbelief - mostly because she'd been referring to the lack of Faunus families in the area, but also because that had been the _one_ good thing she'd thought she'd done. She'd made sure they would be taken care of for the rest of their lives, but to find out that they'd left that money untouched and were making it on their own?

"That...that was to make sure she had everything she wanted," she whispered, still dumbfounded by the revelation.

"No, it was to help you sleep at night."

She'd been right about Yang's eyes. They were darker than normal, the effect of red seeping into lilac. While Yang stared her down, Weiss watched the change happening - a storm brewing on the horizon.

But it would be wrong of Yang to believe Weiss had slept at all the past year. Believing that her teammates had been financially taken care of had done absolutely _nothing_ to remove the burning guilt that marred her dreams.

"I was only trying to help."

The way Yang's hand curled into a fist on the table immediately said that that had been the wrong thing to say.

"If you wanted to _help_ ," Yang said through clenched teeth, "Then you should've _been here_ a year ago. Or ten months ago. Hell, even six months ago would've helped. But you weren't, so we moved on - she moved on. She doesn't need you anymore, Weiss. She's done just fine without you. We all have."

The words were intended to hurt and they did - like hot coals being pressed into Weiss' heart. It was plain to see just how well Ruby was doing without Weiss around. Ruby was thriving, recovering, growing - relying on the inner strength she'd always possessed. Ruby hadn't needed Weiss to recover from her injuries...but then again, Ruby never had needed Weiss in order to be capable of incredible feats.

"Do you still blame me? For what happened?" Weiss asked softly, shifting her feet as Yang's gaze hardened.

"I _never_ blamed you for that, Weiss. We all knew the risks of being out there," Yang replied with a stern frown. "Leaving though?" Letting out a scoff, Yang shook her head. "That was all you."

A breeze suddenly blew past them in the kitchen, separating their locked gazes for an instant that dispelled the growing animosity.

"Ow ow owowowowow."

They both turned in surprise to find Ruby at the kitchen sink, turning the faucet on full blast and placing one hand underneath the jet of water. Instinct was carrying Weiss towards Ruby, but Yang had already beaten her there.

"What happened?"

"Bee sting!" Ruby wailed.

"Here, let me see," Yang demanded. Ruby pulled her hand from the water and Yang held it gently while examining it. "No stinger, that's good," she muttered before directing Ruby's hand back to the water. "I'll get you a bandaid and some ice."

"Mmkk…" Ruby muttered as she obediently followed her sister's instructions.

Yang possessed a motherly instinct when it came to Ruby. She could be calm and nurturing when Ruby needed reassurance. On the flip side, she could be as aggressive as an Ursa if Ruby was threatened.

While Yang went about her tasks, Weiss was forced to watch helplessly from her spot frozen by the kitchen table. At one point in the past, she'd assumed responsibility of taking care of all of Ruby's bumps and bruises, but now, just like Yang had said, it was abundantly clear that she wasn't needed. In this world she was an observer, and nothing more.

"Are you alright?" she asked regardless, startling Ruby and drawing surprised silver eyes her way.

"Oh, hey Weiss! Totally didn't see you there!" Ruby replied. Removing her hand from the sink, she leaned casually against the kitchen cabinet before cringing and sticking her hand back under the water. "I'm fine! Just...got a little too close."

The phrase made Weiss' eyes narrow suspiciously. There was something familiar about the way Ruby had said it...

"You weren't trying to _catch_ the bee, were you?"

When Ruby's eyes shifted to the water, Weiss had her answer.

"Well…"

"Ruby!" Yang chastised her sister while handing over a small pack of ice. "What did I tell you about trying to play with bees?"

"I'm sorry! I wanted to see if he would sit in my hand!"

"And did he?" Yang asked, placing one hand on her hip while Ruby only looked more embarrassed.

"Yeah...long enough to sting me…"

When Ruby flashed them both a pitiful smile, Weiss felt any consternation melt away, replaced only by amusement. Clearly the smile had the same impact on Yang, who chuckled and patted Ruby lightly on the shoulder.

"You're just that sweet, huh?" Yang teased gently before giving Weiss the briefest of glances. "Hey, maybe you should show Weiss where you catch the butterflies."

Ruby's eyes immediately widened in excitement at the suggestion, making Weiss' own heart race in anticipation.

"I'd love to! But uh...don't you two want to hang out?" Ruby asked, gesturing between the two of them.

Weiss softly shook her head while Yang answered, "I actually have to go meet Blake, but you two have fun."

With another quick glance sent Weiss' way, Yang headed towards the front door and opened a small closet before rustling inside for a pair of shoes. She didn't say another word while stepping outside and closing the door with a slight bang - that might or might not have been intentional.

Sorrow building, Weiss watched her former teammate willingly disappear rather than spend another moment in her presence. Was this the way it would be between them from now on? They'd once been so close...

The sound of rustling ice cubes drew her attention back to Ruby, who smiled and waved Weiss towards the back of the house with the hand clutching the bag of ice.

"Are you sure you don't wanna hang out with Yang and Blake?" Ruby asked while they walked through the narrow hallway between the bedrooms. "I mean, I'd totally understand if you did. You could always go with her, you know?"

Initially, the comment was incredibly discouraging. Did Ruby _want_ Weiss to spend time with Yang instead? Was she actually being a nuisance?

Thankfully, some rational thought crept through and reminded her that in Ruby's mind, Weiss was one of Yang's friends who was back to make amends. Not...whoever she really was. So even though she wanted to spend every conceivable second with Ruby, Ruby was making sure that Weiss had the opportunity to spend time with Yang. Ruby was too considerate to do otherwise.

Well...Weiss _had_ been one of Yang's friends who was back to make amends, but finding a way back into Yang's good graces was still a long way off. If the two of them couldn't even have a short conversation without their emotions boiling over, they clearly weren't ready to be speaking at all.

Fortunately, Yang wasn't making it impossible for Weiss to find a way into Ruby's life again - which she could do. She could make it an insurmountable task for Weiss in a heartbeat. All she had to do was ask Ruby not to speak to Weiss anymore and, knowing the connection the sisters shared, Ruby would certainly agree. Even though Ruby seemed to like spending time with Weiss, there was no way she would choose Weiss over her own sister - and Weiss would never expect that to happen.

In Weiss' world, her blessings seemed to be growing smaller and smaller, yet she counted them all the same.

It was also fortunate that Ruby wasn't completely put off by the way that Yang was currently dealing with their unresolved emotions. Although, maybe it wasn't entirely surprising if Ruby still possessed a penchant for offering second, third, and fourth chances.

"Thank you," Weiss replied to Ruby's offer. "But I think it's best not to push my luck with her today. Plus, I...enjoy spending time with you..."

The confession made her cheeks heat up instantly. It had been quite some time since she'd uttered such complimentary words and she honestly wasn't sure how Ruby would take them.

But Ruby beamed back at her.

"I like spending time with you too!"

Weiss' cheeks grew warmer under the unrelenting smile, before she finally coughed in an attempt to direct Ruby's eyes elsewhere. It was horribly difficult to hold Ruby's gaze in some moments - when Weiss would find herself drawn into the comforting silver that had been her lifeline through thick and thin.

But that connection had been severed. The comfort was still there, but with it was agony at the memories - and, in Ruby's case, a steady attempt to figure out what made Weiss tick.

It had become quite obvious that Ruby was studying her - analyzing her actions, her words, her movements. It wasn't quite as attentive as what Blake might do, or as intuitive as Yang's 'gut feelings,' but it was a type of deep analysis that Ruby likely had no idea she was doing.

Weiss could feel it all the same. She was being deconstructed, layer by layer, just like one of the many weapons Ruby tore apart and put back together again. A growing part of Weiss was terrified that Ruby would eventually stumble upon the fragments of herself that had decayed over the past year. What would happen then?

"So...why are you catching butterflies?" she asked while they walked across the grassy yard and stepped up to a line of tall woods at the back of the property.

"Oh!" Ruby remarked, seeming to have forgotten that that's what she'd been doing before Weiss had arrived. "I've been doing it to practice using my semblance!"

With another wave, Weiss followed Ruby into the woods. Once completely within the shade of the trees, she could see beams of sunlight sporadically breaking the tree foliage and lighting the ground below. Here and there she spotted rapid movements - sometimes bees, sometimes flies, but there were also several butterflies floating in the sunnier places, where soft pink and blue flowers had sprouted.

"They can sense changes in air pressure from really far away," Ruby explained, pointing out a nearby butterfly that was drifting lazily around a bunch of flowers. "If you move too fast, the wind will blow them further away. You have to be quick, but stealthy."

The two of them watched the yellow and black butterfly for several moments in silence. Personally, Weiss was trying to figure out how she would go about catching the insect in a way that didn't involve freezing it in midair and walking over to collect the block of ice from the ground.

That's what _she_ would do, but she honestly had no idea how Ruby would go about this. One, Weiss had never seen Ruby catch a butterfly before. And two, as Ruby had pointed out, even the smallest gust of wind would be counterproductive to the end goal. Anyone who'd ever had the pleasure of having Ruby blow by them at lightning speed could confirm that there certainly wasn't an _absence_ of air when she flitted about.

It was with immeasurable curiosity that Weiss asked, "May I watch?"

Grinning as if that was exactly the question Ruby had wanted to hear, she quickly set the ice pack on the ground before putting one hand down like a sprinter.

"One butterfly comin' right up!"

An instant later, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of rose petals, causing Weiss' breath to catch in her throat in longing. Heart pounding, her eyes focused on the forest, trying to track Ruby's swift movements zig-zagging through the trees. It was a skill that had only been perfected over years of practice - and even then Weiss watched mostly on instinct rather than clear vision of Ruby's path.

In this particular instance, Ruby approached the butterfly from the far left before a flash of red leapt into the air directly above the unsuspecting creature. Ruby was going to catch it from above. At least that's what Weiss initially thought, but then she saw something that made her pounding heart slam to a sudden stop.

Because then she saw something she'd never seen before.

Instead of rushing down at the butterfly, thus creating a tunnel of wind that Ruby had made reference to, the swarm of red rose petals burst apart and floated slowly, almost impossibly slowly, towards the ground before curling back into the form of a girl with her hands gently cupping around the butterfly in mid-flight.

It was like watching leaves flutter to the ground on an autumn day. Or a single snowflake drifting lazily towards the frozen sidewalk. The stillness and normalness of it caused not a single stir in the tranquil forest before Weiss' eyes, but it sent her heart into a roller coaster of emotions.

Beaming with pride, Ruby hopped through the trees with both hands clasped firmly together.

"Got 'im!"

Though the weight of shock still lay heavily across her mind, Weiss managed to smile at how pleased Ruby was with the accomplishment. But she still had to know...

"How did you do that?"

"What?" Ruby asked, glancing briefly over one shoulder as if Weiss had pointed towards the forest. "Oh, my semblance? I know, I can go really fast! It's pretty cool, actually. When you're going that fast, everything else seems reallyyy slow."

Weiss nodded at the answer. She already knew Ruby was fast… "But the part where you caught the butterfly," she clarified, waving towards Ruby's hands. "How did you do that?"

"You mean sneaking up on him? I don't really know. But I can't catch 'em when I go super-fast, so I focus on going superrrrr slow. It's really hard to do - definitely takes a lot more concentration than going fast does."

'Super slow?' Ruby had spent all of Beacon figuring out how to go _faster_ \- how to push her speed to its very limit and then push even further. That's what Ruby had been all about - speed. There had never - not once - been any mention of going slower.

Holding both hands in between them, Ruby waited until she had Weiss' attention before lifting the top one away. The butterfly immediately flapped upwards, weaving around their heads before heading back into the sky - leaving the two of them standing on the ground watching it swirl away.

This is still Ruby, Weiss reminded herself while her heart struggled to regain its rhythm. It was still Ruby, but...it wasn't.

"You wanna try?"

Weiss immediately shook her head at the question. "I'm not good at sneaking around -"

"You don't have to be! Come on, I'll get the net and we'll do this the old fashioned way!"

There wasn't time to protest - unless she wanted to argue with the cloud of petals Ruby left behind while sprinting back into the house. Seconds later a strong breeze preemptively announced Ruby's return to Weiss' side with a long butterfly net clutched in one hand.

"Your net, milady," Ruby said facetiously, giving Weiss a little bow that only served to make her blush. "Now we just need a butterfly - follow me!"

Dutifully holding the net, Weiss crept through the trees behind Ruby. There seemed to be a bigger sunny spot up ahead, which was most likely where Ruby was leading them.

Sure enough, a few moments later Ruby gasped and pointed. "Oh! That's a pretty one!"

Following Ruby's direction, Weiss found a royal blue butterfly with a line of solid black around the outer edges of its wings. Its pure simplicity certainly leant to its beauty.

"If you walk really slowly, you should be able to get it," Ruby whispered, nudging Weiss gently forward.

Catching butterflies wasn't necessarily an endeavor Weiss undertook often...or ever...but they were already here and she was already holding a net, so she might as well play along for Ruby's sake. Nodding, she crept forward with small steps - being extra careful not to make any hasty movements - while her eyes tracked the creature through the air. It was fluttering along a lazy yet unpredictable path, but after a few seconds landed on the tip of a blue flower and slowly flapped its wings up and down, soaking up the sun.

It was perfect. While it was sitting still, Weiss was able to get so close she was practically standing above it and it still didn't move - not until she started swinging the net, that is. The instant she twitched, the butterfly flew upwards and straight towards her face - a small scream escaped her lips when wings briefly batted her nose. Jumping away from the perceived attack, she promptly tripped over her own foot and fell to the grass with a thump. It was only while she was falling did she manage to swing and completely miss the fluttering bit of blue soaring away from her.

The entire sequence of events happened so quickly she had no time to process it before she heard the unmistakable sound of Ruby giggling uncontrollably from somewhere nearby. Weiss felt her cheeks flush deeply at her poor showing, while allowing Ruby to pull her back to her feet.

"Apparently I don't have a career in this," she grumbled while wiping dirt off of her clothing.

"But that was the most adorable thing ever!" Ruby proclaimed before brushing off a twig stuck to Weiss' elbow.

What had begun as a flush of embarrassment due to her rather extraordinary failure quickly became a blush entirely caused by Ruby calling her adorable. Looking up, Weiss found silver eyes twinkling playfully down at her while Ruby's hand still lingered at her elbow.

Something pulled strongly on her heart at that moment - which was so similar to a thousand other moments of years gone by. Ruby was just so beautiful, so pure, so _alive_...without another thought Weiss was leaning forward, rolling to the balls of her feet in order to bridge the few inches of space necessary to meet Ruby's lips.

Ruby's gaze broke away the next second when wings flapped in between them, snapping Weiss out of the moment like a gallon of frozen water had just been thrown in her face.

"Looks like he's back for more!" Ruby exclaimed, happily pointing out the same blue butterfly Weiss had failed to capture. It was floating nearby, oblivious to the regrettable lapse in judgment it had just prevented Weiss from seeing through.

"He wins this round," she huffed with pretend indignation towards the tiny insect, while silently blessing it for the well-timed intervention. "But no one beats a Schnee in the end."

When Ruby giggled at the phrase, Weiss smiled in return. There was something so heartwarming about the sound...like a balm to her restless soul...but it did little to soften the embarrassment at what she'd almost done. Thankfully, Ruby seemed to be none the wiser to what had nearly happened.

But suddenly Ruby's eyes widened, focused on something right above Weiss' ear.

"Weiss, don't move."

Her muscles froze on instinct, alarm growing when Ruby took a careful step closer.

"What is it?"

She was afraid to turn her head, imagining there was a spider or some other horrible bug in her hair.

"Just hold still a second, I'll get it."

The next second Ruby stepped so close that they were practically hugging - her face close enough that Weiss could watch dark pupils expand and contract when the light shifted in the woods surrounding them. Warmth was beginning to spread across her cheeks with each passing second, her eyes flitting across every inch of Ruby's face, trying to memorize every detail. Light sighs of air brushed across Weiss' cheek, sending tingles down her spine. Taking small breaths that were stunted by rampant anticipation, Weiss savored the scent of roses that clung to Ruby no matter what she did to try to get rid of it.

Lifting one hand, Ruby froze as it hovered near Weiss' ear - lingering long enough that Weiss briefly believed that it would be used to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and pull her closer. She yearned for Ruby to pull her closer - for the two of them to meld together once more.

That wish wasn't granted. Instead, Ruby carefully plucked something from Weiss' hair before inching backward and holding it up for her to see.

"A caterpillar!" she remarked, oblivious to how red Weiss' cheeks must currently be from their proximity. "So you kinda _did_ catch a butterfly! Just a baby one."

When Ruby beamed at her, Weiss managed a small smile while remaining eternally grateful that Ruby couldn't read her thoughts at the moment. Instead of questioning Weiss' tongue-tied silence, Ruby looked around before gently setting the small green caterpillar on a nearby leaf. Satisfied that it wasn't going to fall, she dusted off her hands and turned back to Weiss with that same blinding grin set in place.

"Are you ok?" Ruby's grin fell a couple of notches when she caught Weiss' eyes. "Your cheeks are a little red."

"Um, yes. Just the...sun…" Weiss' blush deepened when she waved a hand at the mostly shaded forest surrounding them. Thankfully, Ruby didn't seem to think anything more of the comment - nodding before letting out a small gasp at an idea.

"Oh! If you like butterflies, I have something to show you!" she announced with all the glee of a child wanting to show off her toys. "Follow me!"

With a hop and a skip, Ruby waved for Weiss to follow her back to the house. As they left the forest behind and crossed the well-trodden yard, Weiss turned back to the woods one last time. The lingering smell of roses made her nostalgic in a heart-wrenching way, but she needed to be more careful. If she allowed her memories of Ruby to control her actions, she would only end up scaring the girl away.

After politely holding the back door for Weiss to walk through, Ruby raced forward and pushed open the door on the left side of the hallway.

"This way!" she proclaimed before disappearing from view a second later. The instant Ruby was no longer in eyesight Weiss' feet dragged along the floor like it was rapidly turning to quicksand.

Could she really step into Ruby's room without being inundated by demons? There was only one way to find out that answer - and it was by following Ruby through the doorway as if nothing was wrong, even though her muscles tensed with apprehension.

Taking a deep breath in preparation, she walked through the door and...nothing happened. There was no lightning to strike her down where she stood. There were no memories to tear her into a past life. Instead, there was just...a room. Filled with clothes, furniture, and a few random trinkets.

"So, uh, this is my room," Ruby said awkwardly, picking up a shirt that had been looped over the back of a chair and tossing it towards the closet. "Sorry, I haven't cleaned in a few days."

Where Weiss had expected demons, she found blissful unfamiliarity. Nothing in the room sent tremors of recognition down her spine - instead, the comfort of an unknown environment washed over her. The walls were a different color. The bedspread was different. Different posters, different pictures, different furniture.

And while she'd been expecting to find the mess that Ruby had contributed to their dorm room, instead she found everything surprisingly tidy and organized, contrary to what Ruby's apology suggested. Overall, the space had an orderly atmosphere that put Weiss at ease.

"You're very...neat," she commented hesitantly. Her eyes still wandered around the room, trying to construct a good feeling for the type of person who lived there.

"Oh, thanks," Ruby replied with a bashful smile. "I never really was before, but...I had a lot of time on my hands, I guess. For a while organizing was about the extent of what I could do."

The open admission scratched painfully at Weiss' heart, but Ruby hadn't said it for sympathy - she was merely telling the truth. As much as that truth hurt...

Walking over to the closet, which was currently open, Weiss glanced briefly inside to see what kinds of clothes were hanging there. Also neat. Also organized. There were the combat skirts they'd both worn so much. Jackets, some shirts. All arranged very efficiently in order of -

She froze, unable to move even when Ruby came over to stand right beside her.

"By function, then color, then length," Ruby explained before walking towards the desk to find whatever she was searching for. "Yang thinks I'm crazy, but you should see her closet. Poor Blake…"

Staring into the closet, Weiss swallowed thickly and struggled to grasp onto the thread that kept her here in this room.

No wonder it felt comfortable. This was the way she'd organized her own closets since grade school.

It was the way she'd arranged their closet at home.

Peering over her shoulder, Weiss watched Ruby sift purposefully through various drawers. Besides the scars, there were few visible clues that differentiated this Ruby from the one Weiss had always known. Much of what had irrevocably changed was internal - the differences housed in Ruby's mind that were invisible to the naked eye. But the closet...that was a visible expression of Ruby's inner thoughts.

Could it possibly be...that this little part of Weiss was still hidden in Ruby's mind?

Her pulse was elevating and her palms growing moist as she tore her eyes from Ruby. Suddenly, the entire room made sense. The books on the shelf organized in groupings, both vertically and horizontally, alphabetized left to right and top to bottom. The pens lying on top of the desk, all of the tips arranged in a straight line.

The more familiarity she found, the more she could feel another reality surging to the surface of her mind. The room was much larger, lit by the light of more windows, with the smell of roses everywhere. Ruby was still there, rustling through drawers, only it was the drawers by the bed - their bed. She had no idea Weiss was behind her...because Weiss had been sneaking ever since walking into the room. She was determined that today was going to be the day. And she was growing infinitely more nervous with every step she took - a small square box clutched behind her back -

"Aha!"

The memory flashed away when Ruby stood and rushed back to Weiss triumphantly. When Ruby gestured for one of Weiss' hands, she removed them from behind her back, finding them empty, before Ruby set something in the palm of one hand.

Shoving the lingering memory aside, Weiss focused on the trinket Ruby had just handed her. It was a butterfly...made out of scraps of metal that created a kaleidoscope of colors. Attached to a small base with a single wire rod, it was small enough to fit comfortably within the palm of her hand. But it wasn't just a statue of a butterfly...the instant it touched Weiss' palm the wings began moving slowly up and down - flapping like a real butterfly would.

"It's powered by you," Ruby explained. "Took a while to figure that one out."

It was mesmerizing to watch - the little piece of metal flapping its small wings lazily in her hand.

"It's...amazing…" Weiss muttered, mostly to herself, while analyzing the contraption. The pieces of metal had been cleverly sourced from different weapons or fixtures in order to create a unique combination of colors that somehow came together in one aesthetically pleasing masterpiece.

Although none of this should be at all surprising, considering its creator.

"Do you want it?"

The question immediately made Weiss balk and try to pass the butterfly back to Ruby.

"Oh, no, I could never -"

"Sure you can!" Ruby replied while gently pushing Weiss' outstretched hands back. "I don't need it. It's been in that drawer for a while so it'd be better off with you! I mean...if you want it..."

The sudden uncertainty erased any doubt or hesitation on Weiss' part. Clutching the newfound treasure in both hands, she brought it back to her chest with a smile.

"Of course I do."

The only thing that could possibly make receiving a gift such as this any better was the enormous grin Ruby now had on her face. It was one of those grins where it was abundantly clear that Ruby felt as if she'd accomplished an extraordinary task. And, on Weiss' part, she'd just been given a rather extraordinary gift.

Turning her gaze away from Ruby and back to the butterfly, Weiss watched the wings move for several seconds before her eye caught on something tucked on the other side of the dresser - on the far side of the room. Curiosity compelling her, she took a half step closer so that she could identify what was lurking there. The instant she did so, she wished that she hadn't.

It was...a shrine, of some sort...composed entirely of empty pill bottles.

Her lip quivered as she looked at them, stacked carefully one on top of the other in a precarious pyramid. The names on the labels didn't make any sense to her, but they should. She should know every single one of them - what they were for, what side effects they had. She should know everything about them because she should have been here.

Just like Yang had said - Weiss should have been here to help. Nothing was as much as testament to that as this. Because this...no amount of money in the world could have made these bottles go away.

"Yang wants me to get rid of them," Ruby commented softly from behind her, causing Weiss to turn around. "But I like seeing them. I like knowing that I went from that," Ruby pointed towards the tower, "To this."

When Ruby raised one closed fist, Weiss watched intently to see what was inside. But when Ruby uncurled her fingers, her palm was empty.

"Nothing!" she remarked, holding her hand up while grinning merrily.

"That's great to hear," Weiss managed to reply, forcing a small smile. "It must have been a...difficult journey."

"Naw." Shrugging one shoulder, Ruby reached past Weiss and straightened one of the bottles on top of the stack. "Just long, ya know? But now that I'm better I can have fun again!"

Even though the response was purely happy, Weiss felt her breath leave her in a soft whoosh of air. Guilt twisted like a knife in her heart and she resisted the urge to touch her chest to make sure nothing was lodged there.

Ruby still lied the same way...

"Hey," Ruby suddenly asked, ducking her head to meet Weiss' eyes. "Are you ok?"

The concern was nearly too much for her. Here she was - the one who'd run when Ruby had needed her - and Ruby was worried about her. Weiss, the one who hadn't been gravely injured and forced into months of medication and rehabilitation and god knows what else.

"Yes -" When her throat caught on the word, she swallowed to get her voice working again. "Yes. I'm just...a little thirsty is all."

"Let's get you some water then!" Ruby replied, cheerfully waving for Weiss to follow her back to the kitchen. But before they left the room behind, Weiss couldn't help but glance back at the tower of empty bottles - reliving the swell of remorse that brought tears stinging to her eyes.

Grasping the metal butterfly in her hands, which she in no way deserved, she tried to remind herself that those bottles were part of the part. That was her mistake. That was something she would never be able to fix - something she would have to live with every remaining day of her life.

 _She doesn't need you anymore, Weiss._

More tears threatened when Yang's words replayed in her mind.

"Are you an ice or no ice type of gal?" Ruby asked with a cheerful grin while pulling two cups out of the cupboard.

"I...actually, I think I should be going," Weiss replied, not failing to notice the brief confusion and then disappointment that flickered through silver eyes.

"Oh…"

"I forgot a work report -" she continued, moving towards the door as if trying to escape Ruby's presence. "But thank you so much for...inviting me. We should do this again soon."

Her hand was already on the door knob - and Ruby slowly trailed her to the front door.

"Yeah, we should! Whenever you're free!"

The response somehow wounded Weiss even further - preventing her from meeting Ruby's eyes while her own swam with tears.

"Have a lovely day," she whispered towards the door, before opening it and rushing down the sidewalk away from the house. Feeling the eyes watching her leave, she resisted the urge to turn back as she made her hasty retreat - a fresh wave of pain crashing over her head.

Ruby didn't need her, that was becoming more clear by the day. Weiss was the one who needed Ruby. But what right did she have to be in Ruby's life?


	10. Chapter 10

**Often, I don't know what to say in author's notes besides thanking all of you for the reviews/follows/etc. I look forward to posting the chapters each week, and I hope you look forward to reading them!**

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She was running - which was pretty normal...she spent most of her life running. Her semblance practically demanded that she run all the time, everywhere. But right now she wasn't running for fun, or exercise, or any of the good reasons to run. Right now, she was running away from something.

She had no idea what it was, other than it was big and crashing through the forest behind her. The sound of splintering trees filled her ears, which was a little weird since there weren't any trees around. There was nothing, actually. There wasn't even a forest - it was just...snow.

That might explain why her feet were so cold. And why she kept slipping on the slick ground whenever she tried to push herself faster. She couldn't go faster without falling, and she couldn't fall without getting caught by whatever was behind her.

Risking a glance over her shoulder (and nearly falling in the process), she figured out what was chasing her - it was a Death Stalker. A big one, at that.

Turning forward, she reached up to pull Crescent Rose off her back for protection, but...Crescent Rose wasn't there. There was nothing slung across her back, but she could've sworn she just put the weapon there...

Giving up, she kept running. Weaponless, her only hope was to lose the Grimm somehow - like in that forest up ahead. It hadn't been there before, but it was there now and she wasn't about to complain. She could use the trees as cover - hopefully that would slow down the Death Stalker and allow her to escape.

Flying into the forest, she wove back and forth around tree trunks while trying not to make a mistake that would slow her down. Thankfully, but also weirdly, there was no snow in here - if anything, it felt warm like the middle of summer.

Without the snow, she could run faster. But...she couldn't remember when she'd started running away from the monster on her trail. It must've been a long time ago by the way her lungs were burning, her chest heaved while searching for air, and her semblance felt like a small ash instead of a flame.

She was getting tired.

Trees, trees, trees - everything flew past in a blur. She picked her path perfectly, yet the Grimm gained on her. That was the opposite of good news when being hunted through a forest with no form of protection. The Death Stalker was now so close she could feel the ground shaking, like the earth wanted to break apart underneath her feet.

That's when she found it - her escape.

Tucked into a mountain in front of her was a cave. The entrance was large enough for her, but the monster behind her wouldn't be able to fit. If she could get inside, the Death Stalker would be stopped at the rock wall.

With her exit found, she used the remainder of her semblance to get her there before the Grimm caught up to her. She slipped into the cave with the creature right on her heels - snapping the air behind her as it slammed into the mountain at full speed. Skidding to a stop inside, she turned and watched as it lashed wildly at the entrance. Trying to let itself through, it was clawing pieces of rock the size of boulders away from the wall holding it at bay.

Backing away from the monster intent on destroying her, Ruby fell further and further into darkness. Turning away from the Death Stalker, her eyes struggled to adjust to the expanse of emptiness swallowing the space in front of her. The light was gone, and the ruckus being caused by the Death Stalker fell away as another sound reached her ears.

Someone was crying.

As she crept further, the sorrowful sound echoed off the walls around her, filling her mind and soul. With every step she took, it grew louder and clearer - as if her current blindness was allowing her ears to fully hear. She knew the Death Stalker was still ripping apart the mountain trying to find her, but that mattered little when compared to the sounds of anguish reaching through the darkness and tearing at her heart.

"Hello?" she called into the darkness, but received no response. Searching futilely for the source of the cries, she found nothing - it was too dark in here, and so dark she might think her eyes were closed if she didn't know they were open.

But the soft weeping, laced with unmistakable anguish, was growing harder and harder to listen to. Her heart filled with sadness as the sound continued on without end. She wanted to find whoever it was and help them. She needed to find them and help them. She didn't want them to cry anymore - not like that, not in pain.

"Hello…" Ruby said again, trying to pinpoint the direction the sound was coming from.

"Please...come back to me…"

Ruby whipped towards the pleading voice - her eyes rapidly scanning the entrance of the cave as the Death Stalker suddenly froze. When the creature slowly turned away, dread poured into Ruby's veins.

"No," she whispered to herself, stepping back from the darkness.

The Grimm had heard the voice - just as Ruby had - coming from outside. There was someone out there, out in the forest somewhere.

Taking another step, Ruby turned that step into a run when the Death Stalker shifted away - a cloud of rubble bouncing off its armored back as it decided she was no longer worth the effort.

But she couldn't let it leave. She couldn't let it find whoever was out there. She had to save them.

"Hey!" she shouted, her feet pounding on hard rock as she raced towards the exit. Hearing her voice, the Death Stalker froze before it disappeared into the woods.

"Yeah, you!" she yelled again, stopping at the mouth of the cave and pointing directly at the creature. "I'm talking to you!"

It was stupid, but it worked. The Death Stalker turned back to her and snapped a pincer towards her - as fast as a lightning bolt. Diving to the side, she ducked the attack before rolling to her feet and backing away from the safety of the cave, all while making sure the Grimm was still following her.

So...the first part of her plan had worked, but what was she going to do now? She didn't have much energy left in her - definitely not enough to keep running for long.

Another claw burst towards her, barely missing her neck after she jumped out of the way.

Coiling together the fragments of her semblance in preparation of making one last run for it, she immediately powered down when she found that there was another Death Stalker behind her. And one to her left. And one to her right. They hemmed her in on every side while slowly advancing towards her, a loud clacking noise filling the air. The Grimm weren't even snapping their pincers together, but Ruby could still hear the sound - over and over again as it overrode everything else in her head.

Weaponless and tired, she took a deep breath - trying to ignore the way it hitched in her chest in pain.

Deep down, she already knew this was the end for her. There would be no escaping her fate at the claws of these monsters. She was the one they wanted. She was the one they were after. If she gave them what they wanted...everyone else would be safe.

So she refused to move.

The sound of crying returned, breaking her heart as someone openly wept nearby - always out of sight. She wanted the crying to stop. She wanted the clacking of claws to stop. And she knew the only way for that to happen was to stand her ground and wait for the end to reach her.

She was hardly the size of one of the Death Stalkers' pincers as they came to a stop within feet of her - the clacking growing more ferocious as she unwillingly trembled in fear.

If there was any solace, it was that her death would serve a purpose. If she did this, everything would stop. And it would be worth it - to save the person crying for her. Because they shouldn't be crying for her - she was doing this for them. So they'd be happy again. Her life was a small price to pay for that happiness.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you," she whispered as one of the Death Stalkers lashed out and caught her by the arm. A cry of pain was forced from her as a grip stronger than metal crushed her wrist, sending her collapsing to her knees in an attempt to relieve the increasing pressure. Her skin burned as lines of blood ran down her arm - all while that clacking sound echoed over and over again, louder and louder in her head.

Struggling to breathe through the pain, the environment started shifting around them - trees, saplings, and shrubs rapidly growing and disappearing like a movie playing through all the versions of forest she'd ever seen, the film running in the background of her death.

With an incredible flash of pain something in her arm gave way, causing her to cry out again. A tear fell to the ground as a strangled gasp slipped out - the tiny droplet of water landing on softly swaying blades of grass that withered and browned when her tears touched them.

It hurt. It hurt more than anything she'd ever experienced in her life. The pain broke through her aura, which was trying to kickstart itself over and over again. It was trying to protect her - save her - but she couldn't move. She couldn't escape. And she doubted these monsters were suddenly going to grow a conscience and let her go.

This was the end for her, but she had absolutely no regrets.

Another claw reached towards her before stopping in mid-air. It hung over her head and clacked menacingly - announcing its intention to deliver the final blow. Waiting for the creature to strike, she stared directly at the deathly eyes in front of her.

"Please wake up…"

Before she could even process the soft voice, the claw shot towards her neck.

She woke with a jolt, her heart racing and the begging request still reverberating in her ears. While she could still hear the desperate plea seeping through the walls of her mind, she remained somewhere between her bed and that horrible dream landscape - trapped in the grasp of another nightmare.

Unfortunately, the words quickly faded to silence and gave way to the real nightmare - the torrent of pain waiting right behind. It was everywhere - her legs, her stomach, her arms and head. It seared through her inch-by-inch, torching every nerve ending she possessed before concentrating in her wrist and skull - and remaining there. It was the type of crippling pain that made her wish she could've stayed in the nightmare. The Death Stalkers had been bad, but this...this was worse. And this was real.

Curling into a ball on her bed, she clutched her left arm to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. A low moan slipped past her lips, sounding less human and more like a wounded animal calling for help. With shaking fingers, she managed to grasp her necklace with her right hand and held on tightly, praying for the torment to go away.

Again. How many nights this week? Every time was a different creature, a different nightmare, but it was the same voice begging her to come back. The same feeling that it was all meant to happen.

Even if it was meant to happen, it left her filled with sorrow to accompany the pain - a deep, all-encompassing sorrow that tore at her heart.

She never saw the person crying, or understood why they begged her to return, but the answers to those questions meant nothing to her right now. Not when her breathing was growing more and more broken and jagged. Not when every inhale hurt her chest, and every exhale cut like knives on the way out.

But as much as she didn't want the next breath to come, she knew that she needed to keep breathing if she wanted to keep living.

Somewhere in the room she heard a whimper, but it didn't seem to come from her. Maybe that was because she couldn't tell what was her anymore and what was pure, living agony. Where did the pain stop and Ruby begin? Were they separate entities anymore - or had they somehow merged into one?

No, she could power through this. She was Ruby Rose. She was not pain in living form. Ruby Rose. Ruby...Rose…

Her next breath sounded like a sob as her wrist seared with fire. It hurt so badly she didn't dare open her eyes to look at it. The wound felt fresh again - split open, ligaments torn, bone crushed - like it had just been ripped to shreds by a powerful force that was hellbent on pulling her apart.

The doctors told her to focus on other things when this happened, but that was a whole lot easier said than done. What was there to focus on besides the pain? If she tried not to think about it, she only thought about it more. She couldn't tear her thoughts away from the sickening heat near the stitches in her scalp that felt too much like freshly running blood. Or how moving only a fraction of an inch to breathe created another firestorm of agony. But she could try to focus on...focus on...the...

Pain.

PainPainPainPain.

There was nothing else.

That was all there was left.

A fresh wave of agony burned through her wrist and she gasped, squeezing her eyes even more tightly shut and praying for it to go away. She'd do anything to make it go away. The nightmare Grimm could come live in her room - they could share a bed. Just...anything to make it stop -

"Ruby?"

In her current state of paralysis she hadn't heard the bedroom door open, but she felt someone sit down on the bed a second after her name was whispered in the darkness. Opening her eyes, she found Yang peering down at her in concern - lilac eyes bright and sparkling in the thin moonlight shining through the bedroom window. Growing up, Yang had never been much of a morning person, but somehow she was already wide awake - alert and prepared to help.

Maybe that was just another thing that had changed…

When Ruby opened her mouth to reply, another pitiful whine slipped out. But she didn't need to explain what was going on - Yang already knew.

Reaching out, Yang rubbed Ruby's shoulder gently - providing a sense of comfort that might be comparable to how a baby felt in its mother's arms. The reassuring warmth worked wonders in steering Ruby away from the edge of panic. Her grip on the ring slightly relaxed, allowing her to feel the indentation in the palm of her hand, but she didn't dare release it. Besides Yang, the tiny circle of metal was Ruby's only source of strength...and she desperately needed both of them in what would otherwise be a void of darkness.

"I'm...fine…" she managed to gasp out before gritting her teeth when the next wave of pain shot through her. It was a horrible lie and not at all believable, but she tried anyway. Maybe what she should say is that she wished she was fine.

'How are you?'

'Wishing I was fine.'

'What good will wishing do you? You're a mess of scorching misery and wounds that'll never heal.'

Trying not to cry, she curled into a tighter ball and clutched onto her necklace for dear life. Being this weak sucked.

"Can I help?"

Ruby's eyes opened again and flicked towards the doorway in search of the source of the soft voice. Amber eyes glinted back from the darkened hallway, glowing unnaturally in the low light - Blake...keeping a distance like she always did, but still staying close enough to help.

Ruby knew that she was never loud enough to wake Yang - not with how deeply she slept, and definitely not from the other side of the hall - but Blake's superior ears must hear. And Blake woke Yang up - every single time.

Maybe there wasn't too much thought put into it, but it was something Ruby was so thankful for. One day, she hoped to be able to express her gratitude...because she knew that she didn't have the courage or the strength to go get her sister on her own. Blake saved Ruby the shame and embarrassment of being so weak that a mere nightmare could cripple her.

Another wave of pain made her gasp and squeeze her eyes shut once more.

The worst part about this was that there wasn't much she could do but try to ride it out. Eventually it would go away, right? Right now, she couldn't even remember if that was true or not. But it seemed true...

Some amount of time later, when the ache temporarily faded to a moderate roar and she reopened her eyes, she found that she was panting for breath. Dealing with the wounds was exhausting - a never ending struggle between her body and her mind...where her mind often lost.

Of course, relief was short-lived. It disappeared the next second when her skull began pulsing with waves of agony - enough torment to shut down her other senses. There was no seeing, no hearing, no anything except feeling the stitches as if they were being pounded into her scalp with a hammer.

Through it all her aura struggled to help, but it was just as broken and mangled as she was. It tried to start, it stopped, it tried to start again...

Only when the pain subsided enough for her to hear again did she realize she'd started crying - a wounded sob shaking through her chest. It was followed by another one - the wrenching motion only causing more pain than the pressure it relieved.

It hurt so much.

Everything hurt so much.

While she struggled to regain some semblance of control, Yang continued rubbing her shoulder.

"It's ok…" Yang whispered soothingly. "Hang in there, Ruby…"

"Ha…" Ruby breathed out before sniffling, feeling a big tear slip out and roll down her cheek. If she could move she'd wipe the tears away, but moving was off the table at the moment. Instead, she was forced to remain as motionless as possible while tears slipped from her eyes and dampened the blanket beneath her.

She appreciated the encouragement. She needed it. But it was so hard sometimes…

After a few more moments of labored, sniffly breathing, Ruby felt the bed move when Yang turned away.

"Um...I think you should get the pain meds…" she directed towards the door. Hearing the quiet direction, Ruby moaned - this time only partially out of pain.

She hated the medicine. Like hated it, hated it. It was horrible. The worst stuff ever created. Half of the times she took it, it made her fall asleep - which was fine. But the other half it made her so nauseous she'd spend the next five hours on the verge of throwing up. Not actually throwing up, mind you, because that'd be too nice of the dumb things.

"I'm fine...y'know...really," she sputtered while Yang softly brushed away strands of hair that were sticking to Ruby's perspiring forehead. "I can...do this…"

"I know you're strong, Ruby," Yang whispered in return, as if talking in a normal voice might anger Ruby's injuries further. "But sometimes even the strongest people need a little help."

"You call...the gag pills...help?"

The term made Yang chuckle softly.

"I know you don't like them, but they help. You need your rest so you can get better. And you can't rest...like this."

'Like this' meaning when it felt like something was trying to tear her arm off while simultaneously digging sharp hooks into her skull. Yeah, she couldn't sleep like that. She'd love to meet anyone who could - they'd be one incredibly tough dude. Or dudette. Yang could probably do it. She was the strongest person Ruby knew.

"Can you get up?"

"Mm -" was all Ruby got out before the bed shifted when Yang stood up.

"Don't worry, I got you," Yang said, before gently wrapping her arms around Ruby's waist and easily lifting her. Ruby made sure to keep her injured arm and her head as still as possible while Yang propped her up in a seated position. Even though she did basically none of the work herself, the process of moving still made her grunt and break into a cold sweat of effort.

Now that she was sitting up, she glanced down at her wrist - only for another stab of pain to lace through her, accompanied by a un-gag pill induced wave of nausea.

The bruising still hadn't faded away. Blues, browns, sickly greens and dark splotches of purple left little room for unmarred skin to show through. And then there were the staples...the lines of silver twinkled in the light, running in a long line across her arm.

She looked like some kind of human monster.

"You ok?" Yang asked, kneeling on the floor in front of Ruby and looking up into her eyes. "You're not gonna hurl, are you?"

Instead of responding, Ruby clamped her mouth shut and waited for the nausea to pass. Sitting up was hard sometimes. Something about moving her head too fast was just...really hard.

A few seconds later Blake returned - utterly silent as she appeared out of thin air. She handed a small bottle to Yang while holding a glass of water in her other hand. Yang easily popped the top off of the bottle and handed one tiny gag pill over to Ruby. Temporarily releasing her necklace, Ruby accepted the pill from Yang - popping it into her mouth before taking the glass of water from Blake.

"Another empty one," Yang remarked, shaking the container to prove it was empty. "I'll put it right here."

Ruby barely watched while Yang set the bottle on the nightstand. Instead, she took a big gulp of water to drown the pill before handing the glass back to Blake. Now that the poisonous little sucker was in her system, it was time to wait for it to get to work. Sometimes, if she thought about it too much, she could practically feel it settle in her stomach and start dissolving. It released its pain relievers like toxic fumes that bubbled up from her stomach and found the way into her veins.

Yeah, thinking about it too much didn't help with the nausea…

"You wanna lay back down?"

"Yeah," Ruby muttered at Yang's question. Still holding her arm as stationary as possible, this time she at least swung her own legs back onto the bed while Yang's hands helped her lay carefully back down on her side. Her stomach immediately felt queasy, but that was hopefully from the change in position and not from the medicine.

"There you go," Yang said, sitting back down on the edge of Ruby's bed and rubbing her back. "That sucker should kick in soon."

Making a soft grunt in reply, Ruby clenched her good hand around her ring when another spike of pain swept across her wrist.

The pills were...well, she didn't know how they worked. Something about...something. There were a lot of big words involved that she'd never understand without the head injury. All she knew was that the pills made the pain go away for a little while. But which would it be? Sleep or hurl, sleep or hurl…

It was hard to tell how much time passed while they all silently waited for the medicine to start working. Still suffering through quakes of agony, Ruby did her best to focus on Yang's hand - always warmer than a normal person's and soothing on a night like tonight. Panting quietly through her mouth, she closed her eyes and did her best to trace the comforting hand from her shoulder, down her side, and back up again. Yang never varied the path or tempo - up, down, up, down, up, down...

"Want me to tell you a story?" Yang asked, breaking through the silence with the quiet question.

"Yes please," Ruby whispered back.

A story was usually a good distraction - something to move the pain a little further away.

When they were growing up, Yang had been in charge of their bedtime stories - she was really good at it too. She spun tales so wild and imaginative, Ruby remembered being completely awed by them. It was Yang who'd made Ruby want to fly - to be a hero, to conquer fears, everything.

Ever since...what happened...Yang had started telling tales again. At first just retelling Mom's stories, but then branching back into spinning stories on the fly. Ruby liked those ones the best - although Mom's were also awesome, but she'd memorized the endings long ago.

"Ok," Yang began, her hand continuing its track. "Let's see...oh here, I got one. Once upon a time, there was a girl -"

A little smile appeared at the very first sentence. Ruby was always the girl in Yang's stories. At least, she imagined that she was.

"So this girl, she was out one night at the store listening to the newest Achieve Men album -"

A quick laugh announced that Blake was still in the room, probably sitting in the chair over by the door.

"Hey - my story," Yang directed that way before turning her full attention back to Ruby. "Ok, so she's in the store listening to the newest album, bopping along to one of their songs thinking 'this band is the greatest ever,' when a group of guys walk in. She doesn't notice them at first because she's into the music and she's got it turned up pretty loud. And they don't notice her because she's in the far back of the store and you know, she's kinda short so the shelves are above her head."

Ruby giggled at the imagery because she remembered what it was like to be that short. It was so hard to find other people in the store when the shelves were so tall...

"But anyway," Yang continued. "These guys are obviously bad, and they decide to hold up the guy who owns the store! The girl doesn't even notice at first, but then something makes her pull off the headphones - call it a disturbance in the force. She turns and sees a group of evil dudes in horrible hats grabbing boxes of Dust, led by this tall guy with orange hair, a super awful hat, and a cane. She's witnessing an actual crime in progress! So, Ruby, what would you do?"

Thankfully, Ruby was actually able to think now that the medicine began to work its magic - softening the sharpness of the pain ever so slightly. And, as the pain ebbed away, her heart slowed and her breathing returned to normal.

Thinking about the situation, she really couldn't say what she would do. There's a robbery happening in front of her eyes...she could call for help, she could hide, or she could try to stop them. But she probably couldn't even stop a marshmallow right now, let alone a group of criminals…

"I don't know…"

"That's ok!" Yang said cheerfully before continuing. "I'll tell you what this girl decides to do. Instead of staying quiet or hiding, which is what she should do cuz she's just a little kid, she hops out from behind the shelves and shouts 'Hey, you can't do that!' And the tall guy says, 'Watch me.' I'm paraphrasing here because I don't know exactly what they said. I only heard this from a friend of a friend of a friend."

Ruby laughed quietly at the comment. Yang got a lot of stories from this 'friend of a friend of a friend.'

"Anyway, tall guy does one of those hand waves and more bad hat dudes start appearing out of nowhere. There must be a thousand guys - ten thousand - no, the entire city of Vale shows up and starts advancing menacingly towards her."

The slight elaboration made Ruby smile. She never minded that Yang would exaggerate. It only made the stories more interesting.

"Maybe it was only a handful of dudes," Yang corrected. "But they had bazookas! Now is when she should run, ya know? She's only a kid and these are professional bad dudes - but you know what? She decides that she doesn't like what's going on. She'd been having a really good time listening to the Achieve Men album and they'd just interrupted her. Not to mention they're doing something super illegal. So she decides she's not going to let them get away with it."

"She'll fight them?" Ruby asked, glancing quickly at Yang in time to catch a nod.

"Yup! Unlucky for them, this girl happened to never leave home without a certain weapon - one that folded up to travel easily, but expanded into a giant, unwieldy scythe named...uh...Curved Lily!"

The fake name made Ruby grin.

"Any relation to Crescent Rose?" she asked in a whisper.

"Second cousins," Yang easily replied before continuing. "The poor bad guys only had bazookas and ninja stars - can you believe that? Ninja stars against Cres-er...Curved Lily? Basically, the goons were mincemeat. They couldn't even get a rocket off before she blasted through all of them, leaving only the big bad left. And you know what he does? He runs, the coward."

"But this girl, she's no coward. She chases after him. She climbs on top of this hundred story building and orders him to stop. He turns around and says, 'alright kid, now you're really starting to annoy me' which is a really big compliment in villain speak. Then he throws his hat down on the ground and says 'Let's duel!'"

If Ruby had had any energy left she would have laughed, but instead her small smile turned into a yawn before she asked, "Did he really?"

"No," Yang answered flatly. "He'd never throw his beautiful white hat on the ground - he's that type of bad guy. But he did say 'let's duel,' I'm pretty sure - well, it's my story so he did say that. And you know what his weapon is?"

"The cane," Ruby replied quietly, wincing when she shifted and accidentally moved her left arm. But it was either the cane or the hat...

"How did you -? Ok, yes, the cane. So he raises it up and starts shooting at her. Unfortunately, or fortunately I guess, she's way too fast - dodging around like a meerkat while trying to get closer to him. Bang! Bang! Bang! He keeps blasting the ground where she'd just been. But before she can get close enough, his ride arrives - this giant airship with cannons on the side. And it's not alone - there are at least a dozen other airships flying with it!"

A dozen airships with cannons...Yang was definitely embellishing the story now...

"The cannons all fire at once - a huge BOOM fills the air as a thousand cannonballs rocket towards the girl. She can't get away in time and the building erupts into piles of stones around her, but somehow she isn't hurt. When she opens her eyes, there's a huntress standing next to her shielding them both from harm. Now it's Curved Lily and a fully trained huntress against the guy with a cane and his ship of cannons. How's that for a fair fight?"

"But...he probably wasn't alone, right?" Ruby asked.

"As usual, my genius little sister, you are correct. There's another huntress - an evil huntress. The two huntresses get into a huge battle, sending their semblances back and forth - flames versus wind. Meanwhile, the little girl decides to take down the other attack ships like an expert marksman. Bang! One shot goes right through the cockpit window. Bang! Another one right in the fuel tank. That ship explodes into flames and crashes into the ship beside it, setting off a chain reaction that takes out several more. But the main ship - the one holding the bad guy - it keeps swerving while the huntresses duke it out. After the little girl has taken out ALL the other ships, she sets her sights on the bad guy with the cane. She's going to take him out, once and for all."

It wasn't intentional, but Ruby could feel her heart rate increasing in anticipation of whatever would happen next. This was why Yang was so good at telling stories - Ruby always felt like she was there. She could see the man with the hat. She could see the evil huntress standing in the doorway of the ship. She could see the building, the good huntress. She was there, in the midst of the action.

Opening her eyes, she watched Yang tell the rest of the story, hanging on to every word.

"She lines up her shot," Yang said, holding one arm out straight like an arrow. "Calculating the wind, the distance, the trajectory...then bang! The rifle cracks and the bullet shoots through the air - exactly on target."

Dropping her arm, Yang remained silent long enough for Ruby to break and ask, "Do they get him?"

"Well...no," Yang seemed to decide. "The evil huntress reacts just in time, disrupting the bullet and knocking it away. But the bad guys decide they've had enough and retreat - shooting off in their airship."

"Oh."

"It can't be a multi-part story if she gets him the first meeting!" Yang replied. "Ok, so he gets away on his ship, but you know what happens next? The little girl gets pulled into a meeting with none other than the headmaster of Beacon Academy. He brings her into a dimly lit room - she thinks that she's in really big trouble, and she might've been if the huntress who saved her had any say. She did decide to engage a criminal when she should've just called the cops, after all. But the headmaster sets a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of her and says, 'you're too young, but I want you in my school.'"

The idea made Ruby chuckle.

"Like they'd let in someone underage…" Beacon was notoriously strict about their age limit - there were never, ever, ever any exceptions.

"They decide to make an exception, because it's my story. Remember, this little girl just tried to stop a supervillain. All because they interrupted her music! Imagine what she could do if something really major happened? So the little girl decides that maybe she should go to Beacon."

"Everyone else would be way better than her though," Ruby pointed out. More years of schooling meant a lot in terms of fighting. That's why Ruby had never been able to beat Yang when they'd been growing up.

"Well, yeah, the other kids picked on her a bit at first...but you know what? She worked harder than anyone else. And she trained more. Pretty soon, she was leading the class."

When Ruby felt her eyelids threatening to pull down on their own, she sent up a 'thank you' to the people in charge of the painkillers. That pill had been the sleepy kind.

"Not only leading the class," Yang continued quietly. "But her own team - she's named team leader. And everyone grew to love her...because she was brave when they couldn't be. Because she always stood up for what was right and she never, ever gave up…"

Yang's voice wavered as Ruby drifted towards sleep. She managed to peek her eyes open and found Yang looking down at her with a warm smile and glistening eyes.

"It may not seem like it yet," Yang whispered. "But this girl is going to do some amazing things - stuff no one's even thought possible before."

"With Curved Lily and her team beside her," Ruby mumbled with a content sigh while her eyes closed once more. It was a nice thought...

"You're absolutely right. Her teammates followed her to the end of the world and back. But...that's a story for another night."

She was going to fall asleep soon, she could feel it. But not before she told Yang -

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome, Ruby. Goodnight," Yang replied before kissing Ruby lightly on the head, careful to avoid the stitches. "Love you."

The bed moved again when Yang stood up to go back to her own room. It was only when she was near the door that Ruby mustered the energy to ask one last question.

"Does the story have a happy ending?" she asked, dragging her eyes open one last time.

"Of course it does, Ruby," Yang answered quietly, managing a small smile. "All stories do, if you look hard enough."

Satisfied with the answer, Ruby closed her eyes again. When she heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing, she curled one hand around her necklace once more. Her breathing was deep and steady now, a blessed relief to what it had been earlier.

Physically, those few minutes of torture had completely wiped out her energy. Add the medicine on top of that, and she was completely exhausted. Just another night in recovery mode…

Loosening her grip on consciousness, her mind drifted to the newest tale Yang had begun to tell. An early entrant into Beacon - a young girl who was fearless in the face of danger. Ruby wished that she could be like the girl in the story, but she didn't think she was brave enough. And she certainly wasn't strong enough. At least, not right now.

But maybe one day she could be.

No, she would be. If she worked hard enough, she could do it. And she would do it - no matter how many gag pills it took. She just needed to never, ever give up.


	11. Chapter 11

It was amazing how much could change in a single year - how lives could be built and destroyed, fortunes made and squandered, loves gained and lost - and yet, in the same period of time, some things would remain exactly the same. It was as if some powerful being decided that certain aspects of the world would reject the concept of time - they would instead be blessed with a strange form of immortality...destined to endure.

Her life had not been deemed so fortunate: it had been turned on its head, torn apart, and scattered to the wind. Yet, while she struggled through a year's worth of adversity, the most mundane of places hadn't changed one bit.

Today, she'd managed to convince herself to visit the Vale Galleria - an outdoor shopping center popular amongst the more middle-class of Vale's residents for its affordable shopping and dining options. Walking through familiar pathways paved in sand-colored stones, she noted that nothing had changed in the time she'd been away. There were the same stores, the same restaurants, and the same giant water fountain sitting in the middle of the entire complex, acting as a hub connecting all of the different spokes lined with shops.

There were the same tables spaced perfectly around the same open seating area, set up in the same pattern. The same blue and white umbrellas standing open above each table, providing shelter from the sun up above. The same buzz in the air from the myriad of people out shopping all at once. If she blinked, she might convince herself that the same people were here - as if they'd never been able to leave and carry on with their own lives.

Everything was the same as the past hundred times she'd been here, which meant that the only thing that had changed was her. Her life had been shattered into pieces, yet this place carried on completely undisturbed. The realization was enough to make any person feel the weight of their own insignificance...

These days, the hustle and bustle of crowded spaces was something she avoided at all costs. Being surrounded by strangers grated harshly on her nerves, while also filling her with an unmistakable anxiety and desire to escape. This was why she'd chosen to come here in the middle of the workday when it was hopefully less crowded.

However, apparently shopping had no quiet hours. The din of voices made her want to turn right around and head home, but she was doing everything in her power to ignore the coward inside of her. After the disaster that was her last visit with Ruby, she needed to accomplish something that would prove she could still do this. She could stay in Vale. She could fight off the demons of her past. She could walk into this memory-filled shopping center and survive.

It was such an infinitesimal step forward that she knew the previous version of herself would scoff in loathing. But at least it was something. She couldn't hide from the past forever, could she?

Not only had she made it here...not only had she traversed as far as the fountain...but she was also determined to make progress towards another of her lofty goals today.

Glancing towards one of the standing clocks placed at each of the four entrances to the courtyard, she found that she still had plenty of time. She'd given herself ample padding to ensure she wasn't late and to plan for any...unexpected delays. With some free time, her feet drew her closer to the fountain, with its splashes and streams of water serving to drown out much of the noise from shoppers passing by. The thin jets of water shooting out from the center of the fountain ended too far from the edge for Weiss to reach them, but close enough that she could consider trying. After glancing into the basin and seeing the shimmering coins lying below, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

How many wishes had been made here?

How many hadn't come true?

Opening her eyes, she turned away from the fountain and searched the randomly occupied tables surrounding her. The layout was exactly the same, which meant…yes. It was still here, and currently unoccupied.

Of course it was still here. Just because they'd been gone didn't mean it would cease to exist.

Striding over to what had been unofficially deemed 'their' table, she ran one hand across the back of 'her' chair while trying to decide whether or not she wanted to stay. Should today be the day she finally sat somewhere new?

Looking away, her eyes scanned the empty spots available in search of a suitable alternative, but found none. This was the best seat in the entire area. It had a clear view of all the entrances and exits, while also being far enough away from the fountain that the sound of the water wouldn't dampen any conversations.

Internally she grappled, one hand placed lightly on the back of the chair as if she might pull it out at any second. She also might walk away at any second.

After several more moments of indecision, she sighed and shook her head. Why must every decision be so difficult? It was a chair, for Grimm's sake.

Pulling it out from underneath the table, she sat down before she had time to change her mind. Once seated she began to feel...better. She'd made a decision and had seen it through. Small as it was, she'd willingly chosen to revisit the past and hadn't been immediately overcome by emotions. Granted, it was only a chair...

Allowing her eyes to wander over the crowds, she was drawn back to how similar it felt. The people could very well be different, but to her it looked like the same crowds as every other day she'd been here. And the more familiar it felt, the more she could feel memories pulling at the corners of her mind, tempting her with a trip down memory lane.

This was a happy place though, filled with happy memories.

Tilting her head up towards the small section of sun slipping underneath the umbrella, she basked in the warm rays and closed her eyes, letting a soft sigh of contentment slip out. The sound of voices was soothing, in a way. Once upon a time she'd enjoyed being surrounded by people going about their own days, with their own lives and stories. The anonymity provided by being just one of the crowd made her feel...normal.

"Hey, look what I got!"

Her eyes flew open and snapped towards the voice, expecting to find the speaker skipping joyfully over to her with some new treasure clasped in both hands. But it didn't take more than a quick glance to find that there was no one speaking to her. Probably just someone nearby with a similar voice…

Regardless, she peered around while closely listening for the person to speak again. Hearing nothing, she sighed again and settled on people-watching instead of resting her eyes.

The courtyard was the perfect stopping place for families to grab a bite to eat from any of the various restaurants surrounding them. It also worked perfectly as a place to rest between shopping adventures, or as a meeting spot to wait for co-workers, family, or friends. It was this last purpose that brought Weiss here today, braving the crowds and the memories.

Allowing her gaze to drift across blank face after blank face, it was only a few minutes longer before her eyes locked onto a familiar person making their way into the fountain's courtyard.

It was fascinating how much Blake stood out in a crowd when she wasn't actively trying to disappear. And Weiss honestly believed it had nothing to do with the ears. It was the way Blake walked. Or the way her eyes observed everything so keenly. Or it was the incredible aura of intelligence and character that far exceeded anyone she passed. Whatever it was, and Weiss had never been able to decide exactly what it might be, Blake was easy to pick out of a crowd.

The instant Weiss stood from her seat, Blake's eyes found her. With an easy smile, Blake picked her way through the tables and shoppers before reaching Weiss and pulling her in for a quick hug. The gesture was comforting beyond measure - if only for that brief instant in time. Of the four of them, Blake was least likely to hand out hugs, so for her to give one to Weiss was...encouraging, to say the least.

"Thanks for coming to meet me," she said as Blake drew away and took the seat across the table.

"Of course, Weiss. I'm surprised you wanted to meet here though." Weiss' eyes followed Blake's hand as it waved at the area around them - a space they'd been to together many times.

"I couldn't think of anywhere else," Weiss answered, leaving out the part where this was all part of her fledgling effort to face the past. "I'm surprised Yang's not with you though."

"Yang and I aren't surgically attached at the hip...yet," Blake responded with an amused grin, leaning comfortably back in her seat. "So, what did you need my help with?"

This was it - one of the goals Weiss was determined to see through. It was probably going to be horribly difficult, but what wasn't horribly difficult for her these days?

"I wanted to ask if you'll help get Yang to speak to me again. Or at least look like she doesn't want to punch me all the time."

From the way Blake's ears twitched, that request wasn't what she'd expected. Weiss understood that it was a lot to ask, but no one knew Yang better. And no one had more insight into her current thoughts on Weiss' continued existence. If the two of them were ever going to be friends again - or even just friendly acquaintances - she needed Blake's help.

When Blake leaned forward and placed both elbows on the table, it was clear that she was taking the request seriously. Her expression remained thoughtful for what felt like an incredibly long time before she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"You two need to talk to each other."

"I've tried."

"You need to try again," Blake replied with a serious gaze. "And really talk. Be honest. She'll yell, but she probably needs that. You both need to talk everything out. That's the only way this will get better."

Weiss' brow furrowed at the advice.

"So...let her yell at me?"

If there was anything Weiss loathed, it was being yelled at. Even if she was completely in the wrong, there was something about having another person shout in her face that made her want to shout back. Which she normally did.

"You need to explain to her how you felt, Weiss," Blake continued, her eyes observing Weiss closely. "Explain why you made the decision to leave - the overwhelming guilt, the fear of rejection, all of the pain that comes with it. Because, believe me, she doesn't understand."

Blake's own explanation was so spot-on that Weiss stared in surprise. Her silence only made Blake sigh and drop her gaze to the table.

"You're not the first person to run away from their problems...it happens. We're not perfect."

The reply made Weiss frown. She wanted to be perfect. That's what she'd considered herself to be...before she'd gone to Beacon.

It was one thing to admit her personal failings to Ruby - that was something Weiss would've gladly done in the past - but to explain her greatest mistakes to Yang? To attempt to put into words the extent of the torment thriving in her mind? To be open and honest and hope that Yang wouldn't crush the last of Weiss' resolve?

"I don't know if I can..." she whispered, drawing Blake's gaze once more.

"You can still try. Doesn't she deserve at least that much?"

Thinking about the question, Weiss' brow furrowed while she bit at her bottom lip. After what she'd done, yes, Yang deserved so much more than just an attempted explanation. But the idea of being that vulnerable with someone other than Ruby made Weiss' hands tremble in unease.

"What if I try to explain...and she still hates me?"

The genuine worry actually made Blake break into a smile, leveling Weiss with a steady gaze.

"This is Yang we're talking about, Weiss. You know as well as I do that if you're sincere and honest she won't be able to hold a grudge much longer."

What Blake said was true. The Yang Weiss knew from Beacon was terrible at staying mad for any extended period of time, especially when it came to friends or family. There were second chances, third chances, fourth chances...nearly an endless amount of forgiveness thrived in Yang and Ruby both. Although that forgiveness likely only applied when someone truly deserved it...

After a moment of silence, Blake continued in a soft voice, as if trying not to hurt Weiss' feelings with the words she was about to say.

"She doesn't expect you to stay, you know…"

The revelation brought Weiss back to the conversation in a heartbeat.

"She doesn't?"

"No." Blake shook her head and smiled sadly. "She thinks that any day now we'll wake up and you'll be gone again. That's why she's not bothering to make amends. She's already upset at you for what she thinks you're going to do next."

The disclosure left Weiss taken aback and filled with anguish. It was one thing for her to evaluate her own mental health and question her ability to stay...but it was another for someone who used to be her closest friend to do the same. If it was true, then she really did need to speak with Yang. Or, at the very least, find a way to make it clear that she had no intention of leaving again. Although she'd had no intentions of leaving the first time…

"What about you?" she asked with a heavy heart. "Do you think I'll leave again too?"

"I…" Blake closed her mouth and shook her head before finishing her response. "I hope that she's wrong."

With a slow nod Weiss accepted that answer - it was at least honest. She wished there was some sort of guarantee she could use to prove that it wouldn't happen again, but she didn't have any evidence that could even begin to refute that point of view. If anything, her actions up to now likely suggested the opposite of her true intentions.

Ruby couldn't see it, but it was now obvious that Blake and Yang could. They saw the cracks in Weiss' hastily constructed composure. Maybe they couldn't see the extent of the damage, but they knew that not everything was as Weiss made it seem. Of course they could see right through her facade - they were her teammates and they knew her well. There was no point in making promises to them that they already knew she might not have the capacity to keep.

She'd been living behind masks and pretense for so long that to have that ability suddenly taken away was both disconcerting and exposing. But also, oddly relieving. It was exhausting trying to keep track of the lies sometimes...

After some silence, Weiss decided that it was time to put that conversation behind them. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a thin envelope with the Schnee Dust logo in one corner and slid it across the table to Blake - who accepted it curiously.

"In the meantime, I bought you both tickets to the Achieve Men concert in a few weeks. I would give them to her myself, but I'm guessing she might rip them up if they came from me directly."

Raising an eyebrow, Blake opened the envelope to take a peek at the tickets inside.

"You're going with bribery then?"

"It's one of the skills Schnees are best at," Weiss replied with a hint of derision in her voice. "Well, that and extortion...I didn't know where she'd want to sit, so I just bought the most expensive ones."

Pulling out the thin slips of paper, Blake's brow briefly furrowed while reading, before her eyes widened in surprise.

"Weiss - these are backstage passes!"

"That's good then?"

Chuckling and shaking her head, Blake carefully slid the tickets back into the envelope and folded over the flap to close it. "That's not something she'll be able to easily decline. And she definitely won't be tearing them up."

Setting the envelope carefully off to the side, Blake leaned forward and rested both of her hands on the table once more, her ears pointing directly to Weiss.

"But how have you been doing, Weiss? What have you been up to all this time?"

When Blake asked the questions, there wasn't a single drop of malice or sarcasm in her tone. She genuinely wanted to know - because she legitimately cared about how Weiss had been. This was the same girl that Weiss had once griped about having to team with, let alone live with. The same girl that Weiss had once derided as a criminal...

Yet there was no one more understanding than Blake. She could be trusted with secrets...lies...insecurities...

"I've been...working. Working a lot," Weiss answered truthfully. There wasn't really more to her story than that - she'd thrown herself into her work to avoid thinking about the past. There were also the excursions out into the forests, but Blake didn't need to know about those at this moment. "But how have you and Yang been?" she asked, redirecting the conversation and removing the spotlight from herself. "It seems like nothing's changed for you two - except for me showing up and ruining things."

"You haven't ruined anything," Blake replied, her tone uncharacteristically stern before her expression softened. "We're doing great though. She's still everything I need. And then some."

The reply made Weiss crack a smile, knowing full well that Yang could be a handful on a good day. It was always baffling how the two of them had hit it off so well - like they were crafted solely to complement one another. Somehow, Blake was able to effortlessly handle the abundance of energy and ego, and seamlessly direct it towards productive causes without Yang even realizing what was happening.

There was much more to it than that, as Yang's own outlook and mentality somehow meshed perfectly with Blake's, even though they were starkly different. It was like blending oil with water and expecting neither to yield to the other, but, instead, each gave way and a more perfect combination appeared.

"I'm honestly surprised you two aren't married yet," Weiss commented offhandedly. It was meant to be lighthearted, but she instantly knew that it wasn't from the way Blake's eyes fell to the table and her hands clasped together.

"I don't think...she wants to go down that road right now..."

Heart plunging through her chest, Weiss couldn't feel more horrible for bringing the topic up. How insensitive could she be?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean -"

"Don't be sorry, Weiss," Blake cut her off with a small smile. "You have nothing to apologize for. If I wasn't completely happy, I would say something to her. But things are great the way they are. Maybe once Ruby gets back on her feet…" As Blake's sentence drifted off, her eyes temporarily unfocused before quickly snapping back to Weiss as if the thought hadn't wandered away.

"It's just not the right time."

Not the right time…

Everyone accepted that the pair would be married one day, but obstacles seemed to delay them at every turn. In this case, that obstacle had been Weiss and the responsibilities she'd unceremoniously dumped into their laps.

"You two have made quite the name for yourselves, from what I've heard," Weiss said instead, trying to steer the conversation to a better subject. In her absence, she'd tried not to hear too much about her teammates, but news inevitably floated by her ears when she walked through the halls at work. Thankfully, Blake grinned at the words and let the previous topic fall behind them.

"You know Yang - she wants to be the best and be known as the best."

"I used to know her, yes," Weiss replied, dropping her gaze to the tabletop. "But so much has changed."

"Less has changed than you might think. It probably just feels like a lot right now."

Blake could say that again, Weiss thought while letting out a sigh. It was overwhelming on a good day - like swimming into wave after wave and getting pummeled into the water every single time. By the time she came up for air, she was crushed by another one.

But, if there was good news to be celebrated, it was that she was able to sit at this table and have a somewhat normal conversation with one of her closest friends. There were still sore spots and landmines lurking at the end of every sentence, but her internal coward wasn't ringing the alarms of anxiety, forcing her to contemplate escape.

"Thank you, Blake. For being willing to talk."

Her sincere gratitude was met by a steady expression from across the table.

"You're still our teammate, Weiss. And you're still my friend. I want to help and, selfishly, I want things to go back to how they were."

Sighing again, Weiss shook her head at the admission. "I don't think that that can ever happen. Not after everything…"

"We've all made mistakes. Yang just wants Ruby to be happy. If she didn't think you could make Ruby happy, do you honestly think you would've made it through the front door?"

A small smile slipped out in response to Blake's reply, which was spoken with a large degree of truth.

"Plus...and she'll never admit this...but she wants to give you another chance. I know deep down she does. I can see it in how much she's fighting with herself."

"She doesn't have to give me anything, I can earn it - I plan on earning another chance," Weiss replied resolutely. The determination surprised herself, and made Blake smile.

"That's good enough for me," she said, finally leaning back in her chair. "But you still haven't asked me what I thought you wanted to know today."

"What's that?" Weiss asked, tilting her head in curiosity of what she was failing to consider.

"Ruby," Blake answered, her smile falling into a pleased smirk. "Don't you want to know what she thinks of you?"

The mere mention of Ruby's name set loose butterflies in Weiss' chest. Add in the realization that Blake could offer insights that Weiss would never be able to gather on her own...

"What does she think?" she asked breathlessly, oblivious to how much she needed that answer until now. "Have you talked to her?"

"Yes, I have. And she wants to be your friend," Blake replied, eyes twinkling with something between amusement and happiness. "It might be too early to say, but I think she likes you a lot. She kind of...lights up when you're around. It's something I haven't seen from her since...before."

There were a plethora of reasons why that might be - many of them revolving around the reality that Ruby just liked people in general - but Weiss wanted to believe that there was something special about her, that maybe Ruby liked her more than normal people.

A smile slipped out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The idea that Ruby might like her...it felt like their first year at Beacon all over again.

As if on cue, she heard a burst of familiar laughter drift across the courtyard to her. Immediately dropping Blake's gaze and scanning the crowds, she found a bob of brown hair to the left that looked exactly like Ruby's. The vision made Weiss' pulse skyrocket and her palms grow sweaty. Not right now, she groaned to herself. Why right now? She'd been dealing with her memories just fine…

Before she could force her eyes back to Blake, the crowd thinned enough for her to see that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her - it was Ruby. And Yang. Both girls were walking over to their table, with Ruby bouncing happily by Yang's side.

"What -?" Weiss asked, at a complete loss for words at the unexpected development.

"Yang asked me where I was going," Blake explained apologetically, not even turning in her chair to know what was causing Weiss' sudden consternation. "We might not be attached at the hip, but we don't lie to each other. I told her I was coming to meet you, so she and Ruby did a little shopping and then wanted to see you. Well, Ruby wanted to see you."

The words hardly registered in Weiss' mind as her eyes remained trained on Ruby, heart beating quickly. Ruby was talking animatedly to Yang about something while swinging a plastic bag in full circles around one wrist. There was a hop in her step that was so familiar it made Weiss want to run over and jump into Ruby's arms for a hug.

This wasn't her Ruby though. This was the ghost Weiss needed to summon a great deal of courage in order to face.

"But I'm not…" she began, as panic bubbled in her veins.

"Ready?" Blake finished for her before chuckling. "Weiss, when have you ever needed to be ready to see Ruby?"

"I - since -" she stammered before snapping her mouth shut.

Since she'd left. She needed to mentally prepare herself for Ruby's vitality and for the potential memories forever attached to Ruby's slender frame. She hadn't done that today. She hadn't thought that Ruby would be here. Right now. Walking over to her.

For a brief instant, Weiss considered standing and abruptly leaving in order to escape the impending interaction, but then Ruby's eyes found hers and lit up in excitement. With a big smile and sparkling eyes, Ruby left her older sister's side in favor of racing the remaining distance to the table.

If there had been any possibility of Weiss walking away, it was destroyed by the smile aimed her way.

"Hey Weiss!"

"Ruby -" she replied while her heart did a barrel roll in her chest. When Ruby practically crashed into one of the empty chairs at the table, a small laugh of amusement even slipped out.

Her eyes drifted above Ruby to Yang, who merely nodded in acknowledgement before leaning down to give Blake a kiss between the ears. Yang then slid comfortably into the chair beside Blake, eyes never leaving her partner in one of those displays of devotion Yang was prone to making. For her part, Blake never turned away, accepting Yang's affection freely and uninhibitedly.

The entire interaction lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to make Weiss wonder if Blake ever felt guilty sometimes...for what had happened to Yang's arm. Because to an outside observer, it was impossible to tell that anything bad had ever befallen them. They simply looked...in love.

When Yang leaned forward for a kiss, Weiss politely turned away and moved her full attention to Ruby.

"What did you buy?" she asked, glancing curiously at the plastic bag that had been plopped down on top of the table.

"Oh! Lots of great stuff!" Ruby replied before pulling out random pieces of hardware - wires, sections of metal, and several small tubes of paint. To the untrained eye it would look like junk, but Ruby treated each and every item like an invaluable treasure.

Another laugh nearly slipped out when Weiss realized that she'd been half expecting Ruby to have gotten new clothes. Of course, Ruby had never been that type of girl. And, apparently, still wasn't that type of girl.

"They're the last things I need to finish up my glove!" Ruby explained, picking up a thin plastic bag containing a few lengths of nearly microscopic wire and holding it up so Weiss could see.

"It's that close to being finished?" she asked. It seemed like Ruby had only just begun working on the pet project, but these last tidbits appeared to be the finishing touches on any new contraption.

"Yup! I just needed these wires to loop together the transistors and the glue to hold down the wires. There's never enough glue, it seems," Ruby muttered to herself before turning shimmering silver eyes back to Weiss. "Then there are these very specific hinges - we just had them custom made! Look how small they are!"

The hinges Ruby held up were indeed very small.

"May I see this glove when you're done with it?" Weiss asked while obligingly accepting the tiny hinge when it was passed over for her inspection. From the way Ruby beamed at the request, it was exactly the question she'd hoped for.

"Of course! I'd love to show you! I think it could be really awesome. I hope…" Ruby bit her lip for a brief second until the momentary insecurity passed by. She then glanced quickly to the left and right before turning back to Weiss with an expectant expression set in place.

The familiar gaze made Weiss' heart instantly beat faster. It was an expression that Weiss had come to adore and dread at the same time. It was the one that meant Ruby was about to get whatever she asked for next. And she'd used it on some pretty extravagant wishes in the past...

"Weiss…" Ruby began, her voice low enough that Yang couldn't overhear from the other side of the table. Weiss leaned closer in anticipation of whatever the request would be. Whatever she could do that would make Ruby happy, she was willing to do it.

"Do you...want to get some ice cream?"

Weiss nearly let out an audible sigh of relief at the easily fulfilled wish.

"Absolutely," she answered, mustering a smile before following Ruby's lead standing up.

"We're gonna get some ice cream!" Ruby pronounced, drawing Blake and Yang's attention away from each other. "Do you want anything?"

"No thanks," Yang replied at the same time Blake shook her head 'no.'

"Ok, but you can't steal any of mine then!" Ruby quipped at her sister before waving Weiss away from the table. "Have you ever been to this place?" Ruby asked while they wove their way through the tables and shoppers towards the ice cream parlor lining the courtyard.

"Once or twice before," Weiss fudged, trying to temper the swell of heartbreak that Ruby even had to ask. This had been their favorite ice cream shop in all of Vale - and they'd tried them all. Literally. That had been one of Ruby's outlandish wishes that Weiss made sure came true.

"It's so good!" Ruby remarked with a happy hop to express just how excited she was about the impending sugar rush. "Definitely my favorite place in town."

Even though Weiss was still disappointed, the comment managed to make her smile. That was one more thing that hadn't changed.

When they reached the door, Ruby pulled it open and held it for Weiss. The moment she walked inside the smell of sugar inundated her. Combined with the warm lights and cheerful buzz of lively conversations occurring all around them, it was like stepping into a time capsule. As with the rest of the mall, this shop hadn't felt the effects of time. It looked the same, sounded the same, smelled the same -

She jumped when someone touched her hand, then mentally scolded herself when she realized Ruby had only mistakenly brushed against her by accident while joining her inside. The pull of another lifetime was fading away though, this time allowing Weiss to concentrate on trailing Ruby towards the front counter.

"Do you know what you're going to have?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Heck yes!" Ruby replied while stepping up in preparation to order. The older gentleman behind the counter was immediately recognizable - he'd owned the shop for the past twenty or so years.

"Ruby Rose!" he greeted her with a wide grin. "Guessing you'd like a Ruby's Special?"

"You know it!" Ruby replied with another hop of excitement than made him laugh joyfully before turning towards Weiss.

"And you -" His eyes widened and he did a small double-take when he saw Weiss standing behind Ruby. Trying not to make it into a huge episode, Weiss gave him a nod of recognition that he returned with a warm smile. "And for you, Miss?" he asked in a gentler tone. "The usual, as well?"

A quick glance towards Ruby assured Weiss that the girl was too busy staring inside the case of ice cream to have caught his question. With a small smile, she gave him a single nod.

"Yes, please."

With another beaming smile, the man set off to create their ice cream masterpieces. Well, Ruby's was much more of a masterpiece than Weiss' was.

"What brought you here today?" he asked while scooping multiple flavors into a giant boat that would be Ruby's. "Reach another milestone or two?"

"Naw, just out shopping with Yang! Got some new part stuff."

"The doohickeys and geewhillickers?"

"Hey, you're learning!" Ruby answered with a laugh that he shared. "You'll be building your own weapon in no time!"

"The only thing I'll be building," he replied, setting one Ruby's Special on the counter for her to take. "Is a monument celebrating ice cream."

Ruby let out an 'ooooh' of glee while accepting her ice cream, which was a work of art - and that was a term that Weiss didn't use lightly. From the different colors of ice cream, to the purposefully placed toppings, to the delicately crafted tuft of whipped cream on top, he put a level of care into his creation that was worthy of museum consideration.

A moment later he passed Weiss her own order - a much more subdued cup containing only one flavor and a swirl of caramel dressing on top. Upon closer inspection, she smiled when she found that the swirl was actually a very intricate 'W.'

"I'll pay," she quickly interjected when she noticed Ruby digging around in her pockets.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'd like to buy your ice cream," Weiss responded with what she hoped was a convincing smile. It must have worked, because Ruby looked hesitant for only a moment before grinning.

"Ok, but only if I get to pay next time!"

"Deal," Weiss agreed with a nod. "You want to get some napkins?"

After nodding again, Ruby shot off to the counter holding both napkins and spoons for them to use.

"Haven't seen you around here in a while," the man commented while ringing up their order and taking Weiss' card as payment.

"I've been...away," she answered halfheartedly.

When he nodded at something over her shoulder, she turned to find Ruby kneeling on the floor talking eagerly with a small child, pointing to each of the different flavors in her ice cream.

"She's a fighter, that one," he said, shaking his head slowly in respect. "It was an inspiration watching her come back to life after what happened. And she never lost her smile."

Feeling their attention, Ruby turned towards them, smiled, and waved. Weiss smiled in return before turning to accept her card, but when he handed it to her he held on a little longer than expected, drawing her gaze up to his in confusion.

"It's good to see you back here too," he said kindly before letting go and carrying his full attention to the next customer in line. For a few seconds, Weiss stared at his back in surprise before finally turning away.

"Ready?" she asked Ruby, who nodded and led the way out of the shop.

The lack of sugar in the air outside could easily be classified as a smell in itself. Lost in thought, Weiss hardly noticed the crowds while mindlessly following Ruby back to their table.

It hurt that even an outsider had been there to watch Ruby recover...

"You must come here often," Weiss said, fighting to keep the pain and resentment out of her voice.

"Yang would bring me as a reward for reaching physical therapy goals," Ruby explained. "The owner's so nice. He always gives me extra toppings!"

"That's...very kind of him," Weiss replied, feeling a spike of gratitude in her heart upon hearing that he gave Ruby special treatment.

That feeling evaporated when they reached the table. Watching Weiss closely, Yang was now holding the envelope containing the concert tickets and tapping it slowly against the side of her arm. Opening her mouth to say something, Yang abruptly closed it, then opened it again.

"Thanks for the tickets, Weiss," she said, the words coming out in such a rush it felt like she nearly didn't want to say them at all.

"You're welcome." Dipping her head, Weiss attempted a smile. She understood that such a trivial gift wouldn't change anything immediately, but she wanted to make a gesture that would show she was at least trying to improve this situation. Not only for Ruby, but for everyone.

Pulling out her chair and sitting down at the table, out of the corner of her eye Weiss caught Blake reaching over to squeeze Yang's hand.

"Weiss, you gotta try some of mine!" Ruby said, promptly removing the entire tuft of whipped cream and downing it in one bite.

"Well…"

"Please?" Ruby followed up the request with big silver eyes. "Just one bite?"

It was a scientific fact that there was no possible way to say 'no' to those eyes. Not when it was such a harmless request that would still make Ruby exceptionally happy…

Nodding her head, Weiss expected Ruby to slide the bowl over, but instead Ruby swiped her spoon across several flavors before holding it out for Weiss to try. For a moment, she just stared at the spoon Ruby was extending across the table.

Did she...want Weiss to take the ice cream off of the spoon while she was still holding it?

The answer was clearly 'yes' from the way Ruby wiggled the spoon up and down encouragingly.

Cheeks heating up, Weiss first straightened her posture and glanced around before quickly leaning forward and taking the ice cream off of Ruby's spoon. The action made Ruby grin with happiness while Weiss was a mere few seconds away from dying of embarrassment.

"How is it?"

"Very sweet," she answered truthfully. "But the combination of flavors is surprisingly good."

"Yeah, I don't know how they all go together, but they do!" Ruby replied before looking down at Weiss' cup. "What flavor did you get?"

"Vanilla almond."

"Is it any good?"

The question very nearly made Weiss laugh out loud. Combined with Ruby's gaze, it was abundantly obvious that an entirely different question was being asked.

"Would you like some?" she asked, sliding the bowl towards Ruby.

"No, no, that's not how it works!" Ruby instantly replied, waving her hands and backing away from the bowl like it was on fire. "You gotta feed it to me too!"

Weiss' mouth dropped in shock while Ruby watched expectantly, her eyes glinting joyfully.

Was she being serious?

If it was a joke, she should have laughed by now. Instead, she continued to watch Weiss eagerly for an answer.

"S-sure…" she stammered. Carefully collecting a scoop of ice cream onto her spoon, she extended it across the table, willing her arm not to shake. Her entire face was burning and growing even hotter when Blake and Yang decided that now was the perfect time to tune into Weiss and Ruby's interaction - both of them with a mixture of entertained smugness readable in their expressions.

Without a second thought, Ruby chomped forward and removed the entire scoop in one pull, savoring it for an instant before licking her lips and smiling.

"That one's good too!" she surmised before setting in on her own dessert again. "Man, they don't have any bad flavors!"

Weiss' cheeks were on fire - hot enough that she wouldn't be surprised if steam started flowing off of her any second now. Feeding another person was a very...familiar...action to take. It wasn't typically done amongst friends, at least not that she was aware of.

The smirk Yang sent across the table only solidified the fact that Ruby had just gotten Weiss to engage in a public display of affection. Was that just Ruby being friendly? Weiss understood that Ruby could be socially awkward on the best of days, but she couldn't possibly believe that that was merely a friendly gesture...could she?

A sharp pang of jealousy ran through Weiss' chest when her mind conjured an image of some other girl feeding Ruby ice cream.

"Oh! Now you gotta try this flavor!" Ruby called out, extending another spoonful across the table and waiting patiently for Weiss to have it.

One of these times she was going to burst into flames from the embarrassment. Leaning forward and taking the spoon in her mouth, it thankfully wasn't this time. Although it did feel like she was getting awfully close to the sun.

"Mm...good, also sweet," she replied, wiping one corner of her mouth with a napkin as Ruby happily accepted the verdict on this new flavor.

Ruby wouldn't do this with just anyone, right? It was almost...well, it was flirtatious. Or was Weiss reading into it too much? There was no way she'd ever do this with anyone other than Ruby - she'd never done it with Ruby previously! And how many times had they been here eating ice cream together?

"On second thought, maybe I do want some ice cream," Yang said with a grin, unable to remain quiet any longer. Laughing at the insinuation, Blake stood up and reached for Yang's hand. As the two of them walked away, Weiss glanced across the table and watched Ruby eat her ice cream while her left hand fiddled with that red stress ball. Something about the sight made Weiss' heart ache even more painfully than the slight glint of the silver ring hanging on a chain around her neck.

What if Ruby knew?

What if Weiss told her that everything she'd gone through - the pain, the rehabilitation, the countless pills and lost hours of sleep - had all been Weiss' fault? What if Weiss told her that while she'd been suffering, Weiss had been across the world trying to forget that she even existed?

Instead of sticking around to help fix her mistakes, Weiss had run from them. She'd avoided taking responsibility for her actions. And, through all of that, Ruby still wore their promise around her neck - the promise Weiss had already broken.

What would Ruby think of Weiss then?

"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby suddenly asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. Not yet finished with her ice cream, Ruby was swirling the spoon around the bottom, mixing together the remaining flavors in a manner that looked thoughtless rather than intentional.

"Yes?"

The sight in front of Weiss was rather new - an unsure Ruby who seemed to have something on her mind.

"I was just wondering…" Ruby began, still swirling the spoon clockwise in the bowl. "Like...if you wanted to...maybe I could have your number?"

The question was so unexpected Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. Fortunately, she was able to quickly snap out of it and provide an answer.

"O-of course you can."

The response made Ruby beam so cheerfully, Weiss couldn't help smiling in return.

"Really? I won't bother you too much, I swear! I just thought maybe it'd be nice to have someone to talk to who isn't Blake or Yang -"

"Absolutely," Weiss replied, pulling a pen and scrap of paper out of her bag and writing her information down on it. "You could never bother me though."

After Weiss slid the paper across the table, Ruby picked it up and looked at the numbers as if they were valued treasures.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" she remarked with a grin before setting in on the end of her ice cream with gusto. Foregoing the spoon, she lifted the entire bowl and drained it like the milk left at the end of a bowl of cereal - if Ruby would ever finish the milk at the end of a bowl of cereal…

"Hey kiddo!"

Both of them turned towards the voice, finding Yang and Blake returning to their table but not sitting back down.

"How do you feel about taking that on the road? We've got a couple more errands to run before heading home."

"Already finished!" Ruby replied proudly, shoving the empty bowl towards the middle of the table.

"Jeez...who taught you to vacuum sugar like that?" Yang took a quick bite of her own ice cream before pointing the empty spoon towards Ruby. "Then you're ready to go?"

"Sure!" Ruby answered before hastily collecting the empty cup and her bag of hardware. The piece of paper with Weiss' number on it was then carefully folded up and slipped into her front pocket. "I'll talk to you soon?" she directed to Weiss.

"Whenever you want," Weiss replied, trying not to be too blatantly obvious that she would love for Ruby to call or message any time. With another grin, Ruby joined her sister and Blake beside the table to walk back the way they'd come.

"Are you staying?" Blake asked before they left. Nodding, Weiss leaned back in her seat.

"I have a few more errands to do too," she fibbed. "Beginning with finishing this off." Holding up her remaining ice cream, she was pleased to find that no one was going to press her further on the matter.

"We'll see you later then." Blake's reply was much less a question than it was a formal statement - and Weiss appreciated it as such.

The three girls then set off together, with Ruby turning around at the fountain and waving one last time. While Weiss watched them walk away, her heart continued beating loudly in both happiness and uncertainty.

It was incredible to think that she'd almost run from their most recent interaction. Now it was difficult to remember why she panicked upon being surprised with Ruby's presence. It was almost as if Weiss continued to forget how easy it was to be with Ruby. There hadn't been any lingering uncomfortableness from the way Weiss had run out last, not that she should have expected any with Ruby's propensity to accept awkwardness.

But...Ruby asked for Weiss' number. That hadn't even happened at Beacon since they were on the same team and therefore sharing information had been deemed necessary. But Ruby had asked. So cutely, at that.

Replaying the moment in her mind, Weiss smiled while swirling the spoon through her own melted ice cream. So much had changed...but the way Ruby made her feel had remained the same.


	12. Chapter 12

**Ahhh we're up! Ok people - here you go!**

* * *

Pancakes.

If there was _one_ smell Ruby would willingly wake up for - no matter how early it was - it was pancakes.

Pancakes and butter and syrupppp.

Rolling out of bed with her nose sniffing the delicious air, she didn't even bother changing out of her pajamas before racing to the kitchen. There was no dress code for pancakes! Or for breakfast in general. Or for _food_ in general.

In her excitement, she _might_ have used her semblance to get there a little faster. Just a smidge. A teeny, tiny, little burst of speed. Unfortunately, her semblance didn't really care if it was used a little or a lot - it still sprayed out a cloud of rose petals that flew past her when she skidded to a stop in the middle of the kitchen. Her back probably blocked most of them, but she wasn't wide enough to block them all! The rest landed unceremoniously...everywhere. The butter dish, the table, a few on Yang's pancakes...

"Finally," Yang said, calmly peeling a petal out of her syrup and setting it on the edge of her plate. "I thought we were gonna have to slide 'em under your door to wake you up."

"Sorry!" Ruby chirped, grabbing a plate and hopping over to the stove, where Blake was churning out more of the circular delicacies. "Was up late!"

"Talking to someone special?" Blake whispered, grinning as she slid a stack of five pancakes onto Ruby's plate.

The unexpected question made Ruby's jaw fall open in surprise.

"How did -?"

Her own question fell short when Blake placed one finger to her lips in a gesture of silence before blatantly twitching one ear.

Oh. Duh. Blake had overheard Ruby exchanging messages with Weiss last night. She _might_ have giggled or laughed a few times…or maybe a lot of times. Weiss was just really funny though! She typed each message out so _properly_ \- like, all the sentences had periods and everything! And then she used really fancy words that Ruby had to look up before understanding.

So yes, she might have been giggling to herself in her room while looking up the meaning of 'cacophony,' but dang Blake's ears were strong.

"It was just for a little bit!" Ruby fudged, earning an "Uh huh…" as Blake turned back to the skillet. The playful disbelief made Ruby grin as she took her prized breakfast to the table. Before setting her plate down, she brushed some petals onto the floor and pulled out her chair.

It was nice to have a friend! Sure, Ruby could always talk to Yang about stuff, but Yang was prone to being a _little_ overprotective. Blake was always an option too, and she was super trustworthy with anything, but it just wasn't the same as it felt with Weiss.

It felt like Weiss was _Ruby's_ friend. Not that Ruby _owned_ Weiss - as far as she knew, Weiss wasn't for sale. And technically Weiss had been friends with Yang first, but now Yang had Blake. They were kind of like two pairs, right? Like partners? If that was the case, then it'd be ok for Ruby and Weiss to be friends and have their own secrets to share and everything, right? Not that Ruby had any good secrets to tell...and even if she _used to_ , they'd been knocked out of her head a year ago.

Maybe her secret was that she _had_ _no_ secrets! That was pretty cool, right? And worthy of being kept a secret? Because, like, _everyone_ had secrets, right? So people would assume that Ruby did too, but surprise! She had none - and wasn't that a great secret to have?

Wait, why did she need to have a secret at all? She wasn't focusing on the _important_ part of yesterday.

Weiss gave Ruby her number! Her _real_ one too. That meant she liked Ruby a little bit, right? At least enough to risk being bothered all the time. Although Weiss could always just change her number if Ruby got too annoying...which she was trying _really_ hard not to be. She'd come up with a pretty simple solution to make sure she never got too annoying though - every time Weiss sent a message, Ruby had to read the entire thing five times, then look up any words she didn't know, then count the number of punctuation marks, and _then_ type a response.

The end result was that her reply was a few seconds delayed, and she was now a pro at counting commas.

After cutting her pancakes into haphazard triangles, Ruby drowned the entire stack in syrup before sticking a forkful of five pieces in her mouth.

Ahhh blessed pancakes...so fluffy and sweet and scrumptious...

"Mmm! So good!" she said after swallowing and spearing another stack. "You're getting way better at this!"

Chuckling, Yang sent a warm smile towards Blake. "Any day now she'll be taking my place."

"I don't think so," Blake replied with a huff of disbelief, sitting down to join the two of them for breakfast. "I like making them sometimes, but this is definitely your specialty - not mine."

"What's _your_ specialty then?" Yang asked, the smirk on her lips implying that Ruby _probably_ didn't want to hear the answer.

"I think you already know," Blake answered coyly, batting her eyelashes at Yang before focusing on cutting up her breakfast. "Salmon and tuna - you know, all the...fishy stuff."

"Oh believe me, I know how much you love fish."

Rolling her eyes, Ruby focused on eating her delicious pancakes - which were rapidly disappearing from in front of her. Hopefully Blake made extra...

"So what's keeping you up so late?" Yang asked, finally managing to peel her eyes away from Blake to look at Ruby. Ruby's cheeks flushed when Blake also looked at her, but with far more all-knowing eyes.

"Uhh just up with...my thoughts, you know?" Ruby fibbed before stuffing more pancakes into her mouth for an excuse to stop talking. Noticing the growing concern in her sister's eyes, she quickly chewed the large mouthful and swallowed way too soon. "No nightmares or anything - just thinking about training and strategy stuff."

The answer erased the concern from Yang's eyes, while having the dual benefit of also not being a lie. Ruby _had_ been thinking about battle strategies...while also exchanging messages with Weiss. But mostly just messaging Weiss. It was more of a 90-10 split in favor of Weiss. But _technically_ Ruby's strategy book had been open the entire time...did it matter if she hadn't read any of it?

Ok, she was just going to say that she'd split her time equally between Weiss and studying. Wait. No one even asked her that question…

Shaking her head, Ruby went back to eating her breakfast. Chewing thoughtfully (which was a weird way for her to chew), her mind drifted to Weiss. Before yesterday, Ruby hadn't used her scroll much. It was justs a pointless device that Yang called on every once in a while. And Yang normally called to remind Ruby to do chores, so she kind of actively avoided having it anywhere she could hear it ring.

"Speaking of strategy," Yang brought up while waving a forkful of pancakes in the air. "What do you think of this - two Ursa attacking from the front. Growling and walkin' like the big ol' zombies they are. There's no escape behind, so we've gotta go through them. We split them up, right? But how about instead of running in each direction, I _throw_ Blake over top of them. She ropes one and loops him around a tree using Gambol." Yang made a rapid knot-tying motion before continuing. "While she does that, I solo the other. Since we all know that won't take me long."

Ruby nodded along while Yang spoke, grinning at another ridiculous strategy that was hopefully not meant to be serious. Normally it was a much safer strategy to let someone run using their own two legs rather than throwing them around in battle...

"I have an idea," Blake commented from the other side of the table. "How about all of your ideas _don't_ involve throwing me long distances?"

"Aww, but Blakeeee!" Yang whined while Ruby giggled. "You're so much fun to toss around though! So lightweight and...springy."

Blake's eyes narrowed at the term.

"Springy?"

"Yeah, you know - you've got a lot of...bounce."

"You should probably stop talking!" Ruby warned, laughing when Blake launched a pancake across the table at Yang's grinning face. Yang caught it out of the air and made a show out of taking a big bite, not at all upset about the attack by hotcake.

 _Ruby_ was the one who would've been upset if Yang hadn't caught it and let a perfectly edible pancake fall on the ground. But that wouldn't happen because Yang had reflexes like a cat. Well, not quite as good as a cat because Blake was way faster, but Yang was still pretty quick. Reflexes like a rhino!

"So what're you gonna do today?" Yang asked before shoving a giant piece of pancake into her mouth. "Mor' tinkrin'?"

"I'm done tinkering for now! Got my glove all ready to go!"

"Really?" The answer perked Blake's interest far more than Yang's, making her sit further forward in her chair. "It's fully operational?"

"Yup!" Ruby answered proudly. "I haven't put the finishing touches of paint on it yet, but that's just for show."

Blake looked impressed by the answer, and that was probably more awesome than the glove! Blake was _so_ hard to impress. Like...this one time Ruby had stuffed half a package of cookies in her mouth at once, but Blake hardly batted an eye. Ditto for that time she'd used Crescent Rose to slice tomatoes Yang pelted at her from across the kitchen. She'd even caught the pieces before they hit the ground! (They'd used the slices on their sandwiches for lunch.)

But Blake was impressed! By what, Ruby didn't actually know. That she'd finished the glove? That she'd finished it in a short amount of time? That she hadn't accidentally melted the house with some crazy malfunction? What? What was it? She kind of needed to know if she wanted to do it again.

There was no chance to ask though, because Blake beat her to the next question: "Maybe you'd like to practice this morning?"

"Really?" Ruby asked, already forgetting the previous topic. "Like now?"

Blake nodded. "As soon as you're ready."

Immediately shoving the rest of her pancakes in her mouth and jumping up, Ruby was nearly to the hall when she heard Yang yell her name.

"Ruby!"

Slamming on the brakes and watching another wave of petals knock into the wall, she turned back to her sister.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Yang asked, gesturing to the table.

"Yeah, lots of things, Yang," Ruby teased, waving towards her temple. When Yang's jaw dropped open, Blake burst into laughter.

"I was talking about your _plate_!" Yang said, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment while she turned to Blake. "And you! You're making this worse!"

"I'm sorry! You just set her up so perfectly for that!"

Grinning at the success of her joke, Ruby jogged back to the table, picked up her plate, and quickly washed it off before racing out of the room. On the way, she stopped to give Yang's hair a soft rustle - not enough to do any sort of damage, but more than anyone other than Blake would ever be allowed to do. Swatting Ruby's hand away, Yang gave her a gentle shove towards the hallway while she giggled.

"Remember to keep Blake away from the woods this time!" Yang called playfully after her, making Ruby groan in remembrance of the previous battles where she'd miserably failed that task.

Fighting Blake 101 - do NOT let her into the woods.

There wasn't a dress code for breakfast, but fighting in pajamas wasn't exactly recommended (not if she wanted to win, anyway). Dashing into her room, she found her combat outfit conveniently hanging over the back of her chair. She hadn't put it away after washing it...and now she was wondering why she _ever_ put it away. This was so much more convenient - she didn't have to find it in the closet! Not that it was hard to find anything in her closet…

Excited at the prospect of putting her newest contraption to the test, she practically flew into the clothes and was almost out the door when she suddenly screeched to a halt.

Her scroll! Lured by the pancakes, she hadn't checked her scroll yet this morning!

Picking up the device from its ultra-secret resting place (hidden under the covers of her bed), she smiled when she found there was already a message waiting there.

"Jeez...she must not sleep," Ruby muttered to herself while typing a response to the good morning message that had arrived a few hours ago. How had Weiss woken up so early? She hadn't even sounded tired last night when Ruby finally passed out, so hopefully she slept ok...

"Good morning!" Ruby typed, mumbling the words out loud as her fingers sought out the proper letters. "Going to spar with Blake - wish me luck!"

Once the message was sent, she tossed the scroll onto the bed before running to the garage to collect her newest prized possession. Although if it was _actually_ a prized possession, maybe she should treat it like one and not leave it buried under a bunch of other junk on the workbench.

There was a creepy, hand-shaped block of wood out here for a reason! She should _use_ it - otherwise, she was just weird.

Grabbing the metal glove, she pulled it on in one smooth motion. It immediately came to life, clinging to her fingers with a firmness that would hopefully feel like a second skin over time. Right now, it was a strange, foreign feeling - kind of like she'd wrapped her hand in a perfectly hand-shaped rubber band.

It was her crowning accomplishment, for sure - especially because it _wasn't_ just a big rubber band. It amplified the strength of her left hand by a factor of nearly five. When wearing it, she officially said 'goodbye' to losing grip on Crescent Rose ever again. Plus, she'd even snuck in some extra features that made it _far_ more useful than for just strengthening her grip. Most importantly, the shimmering red plating _looked_ _awesome_. And it was going to look even better when she got around to adding a design in black, if she could ever decide on one.

Curling her fingers into a strong fist, she grinned before darting back into the house.

"Good luck, kiddo!" Yang called out from the kitchen as Ruby ran towards the back door.

"Thanks!"

Crescent Rose was sitting on the small table by the back door, waiting to be collected while she stumbled past in one-and-a-half boots. Grabbing her weapon while shoving her left foot into the boot, she nearly tripped and fell right through the screen door, but managed to catch herself at the last second. Potential embarrassment averted! This time…

Reaching the porch, she saw that Blake had beaten her outside. Of course. Even though Ruby's semblance was speed, Blake somehow beat her every single time.

Yang liked to joke that Ruby was fast, but Blake was quick. Whatever that meant. Knowing Yang, it probably didn't mean anything, but _sounded_ good.

Still, it was like Blake was some sort of superhero who wore her combat outfit underneath her regular clothes at all times. Maybe that's actually what she did! Ruby would have to try that sometime...then she'd always be ready for a fight. Plus, there was definitely a certain flair to pulling off her 'civilian' clothes like a hero.

"Are you ready?" Blake called out to her.

"Not yet!" Ruby said, stomping one of her boots on straight and then lacing both of them up tight. Blake smiled at the reply while patiently waiting in the middle of the lawn.

Only when Ruby was _completely_ ready did she hop onto the grass, unfold Crescent Rose and crouch in a ready position. Her left hand gripped her weapon tightly - the glove giving her assistance that her bare hand could not.

Adrenaline was building as Blake stood passively in front of her - the side effect of so, so much anticipation and just a little bit lack of sleep. But this fight would be better - Crescent Rose already felt steadier within Ruby's grasp thanks to the mechanical glove. It felt _good_ , actually. For once, she had complete confidence in her ability to wield the heavy weapon.

 _Be calm, be calm_ , she told herself while taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. _This is what you've been working so hard for. No big deal, but if this glove doesn't help, you're kinda toast._

But it would work. It would. Positive thoughts!

Exhaling, she briefly reached up and touched her necklace with one hand, sending up a silent request for a little extra help. Or a lot of extra help - she wasn't picky!

Normally, she wasn't this nervous about fighting Blake...because she always lost. But today - today she might actually have a shot. And that made her soooo much more nervous than usual. If she could win, she could finally prove to Yang that she was ready. That was the deal. That was the _goal_. That's why Blake never gave Ruby any freebies. That's why Ruby had gotten her butt handed to her a bazillion and a half times. That's how she knew that she _was_ getting better and Blake wasn't just taking pity on her.

Because Blake didn't pity fight. As Yang so perfectly put it, 'She's not going to take it easy on you. She wouldn't even take it easy on _me_ when I had the flu and was having a coughing fit every few seconds. _First_ , she pulverized me. _Then_ she offered to make me some soup.'

Blake fought every battle to win, so if Ruby could win...it was the real deal.

With her hands curled around her weapon, Ruby moved into the defensive stance she'd practiced so many times it was second nature by now. She was determined to start this battle off on the right foot - which meant that her right foot needed to be a couple millimeters closer to her left than it currently was. And her hands needed to slide a bit further apart. And she needed a nice deep breath of air before the battle began - because who knew when she'd have the opportunity to take another one.

"I'm ready," she finally said, giving Blake a miniscule nod.

With a nod of acceptance, Blake drew Gambol from her back - the motion smooth and fluid from years of repetition. The blade and sheath glinted in the sunlight, the edges looking a lot sharper than Ruby remembered them. The black ribbons, that were much more dangerous than they appeared, fluttered down by Blake's side - ready and willing to trip Ruby whenever possible.

There was something about the way Blake held herself that seemed dangerous, and yet...Ruby wasn't afraid. Don't tell Blake that! But all Ruby saw standing in front of her was a challenge - well, and Blake. Blake hadn't _disappeared_ , but - it was symbolic! Blake was just another hurdle Ruby needed to clear before she could move closer to her goal.

Focusing on Blake's eyes, Ruby rotated her grip ever so slightly to better position herself for the attack that was going to come. It was only a matter of time before -

Blake snapped forward without warning, a sharp blade flashing in Ruby's face so fast she barely raised Crescent Rose in time to block. A follow-up blow was right behind, with another right after that. Within a matter of seconds, Ruby found herself firmly on the defensive - blocking repeatedly as she inched backwards towards the house.

At least they weren't headed towards the woods this time. But it was sunny, so Blake would be more willing to fight out in the open - a more equal battleground for the both of them. Still, that didn't mean Ruby was going to have it easy. It only meant that she'd most likely be able to _see_ her opponent for the entire battle. Although, with Blake...sometimes it wasn't good to believe everything you saw…

Tightening her grip and feeling strength surge through her left hand, Ruby swung Crescent Rose to the right and blocked an incoming slash before realizing, almost too late, that it was just a clone - the real attack was coming from the opposite direction. Without time to deflect the simultaneous attacks, she used her semblance to dash a few feet back towards the porch.

Blake was herding Ruby towards the house...and Ruby was quickly running out of real estate she would need in order to launch of counterattack.

Three more clones appeared in rapid succession, attempting to confuse Ruby even further while Blake flipped this way and that.

Unlike Yang - who pressed relentlessly forward - Blake attacked and then suddenly skipped backwards or flipped up in the air, making it extremely difficult to determine where the next assault was going to come from. And since Blake had the aerial skills of a highly-trained acrobat, the next blow could _literally_ come from anywhere.

When Ruby blocked Gambol downward, sending the clang of metal on metal ringing through the backyard, she sensed that Blake was close - if only for a split second. Lowering her weapon in one hand, Ruby lashed out with her right fist - feeling it connect with a jarring thump a second later. Blake stumbled a few feet backwards from the blow, briefly raising a hand to her jaw before disappearing in a cloud of clones.

It only took a brief glance at the empty yard for Ruby to know that the only place Blake could have gone was directly above her head - the rooftop. Slamming the business end of Crescent Rose into the ground, the shot of a rifle cracked through the air. Ruby used the momentum of the blast to follow her opponent to the roof - where Blake was already waiting, her sword flashing out before Ruby even landed.

Somehow, she managed to deflect the blade and took a step back to avoid the next attack. The slanted shingles were far from stable, and her foot slipped when she ducked under a roundhouse kick aimed at her head. Quickly correcting into a tight spin, she lashed out blindly with Crescent Rose. Blake leapt away from the weapon and skipped to one side, before splitting into copies of herself and lunging towards Ruby at once.

Each subsequent attack was making it more difficult for Ruby to keep her footing - while Blake had zero issues hopping around with perfect balance. Again, the terrain was heavily in Blake's favor - just like in the woods. Which meant Ruby needed to get back to solid ground...

After deflecting three more blows, Ruby finally found a moment to go on the offensive. Using a defensive upswing and surge of effort to shove Blake's weapon out of position, Ruby swiftly turned and backed the rifle chamber of Crescent Rose into Blake's chest - drawing a soft 'oomph' of breath being unexpectedly forced from her lungs.

The successful attack gave Ruby no more than a millisecond to follow up with another. Spinning around, she looped Crescent Rose behind Blake's ankle and quickly yanked the weapon forward. The motion dragged Blake's leg out from under her, and sent her toppling backwards off the rooftop.

For a _normal_ person the fall could have led to injury, but Blake seamlessly corrected her positioning in midair and landed safely on the grass below.

"Darn cats always land on their feet…" Ruby mumbled to herself in the temporary reprieve, prowling the ledge of the roof and searching for an opportunity to jump down without leaving a gaping opening for attack.

"I heard that," Blake replied with a smirk, twirling Gambol Shroud in one hand while waving Ruby down with the other. "Why don't you join me on solid ground? Wouldn't want you to lose your balance and fall."

Even though her breathing was elevated from their initial flurry, Ruby still managed to scoff at the taunt. "I have perfect balance!"

To prove her point, she stuck one foot off of the roof while teetering on the edge on just one leg.

"See?"

After holding the pose with the stillness of a statue for a second, a slight tremor made her knee waver. When her eyes fell to her foot for the _briefest_ of moments, she caught sight of a long black ribbon wrapping around her ankle right before it ripped her foot off the roof. The action whipped her to the side, sending her crashing into the shingles. Immediately sensing danger, she shoved backwards with all her might, catapulting off of the house before another attack could follow.

While falling, she curled into a tight ball and rotated so that she would land on her feet when she hit the ground. The landing wasn't perfect and she stumbled forward, eyes immediately searching for her opponent - who was plummeting down on her from above with weapon raised. Ruby flashed to the side to get out of the way, only for the real Blake to catch her ankle again while a clone plunged Gambol harmlessly into the grass where Ruby had just been.

Falling (again), Ruby triggered her semblance and used the burst of speed to throw herself through a tumble and create some separation. Safely reaching the opposite side of the yard and feeling that she was no longer being pursued, Ruby turned to find Blake moving cautiously towards her.

There was definitely a strategy to how Blake was fighting, but Ruby could only understand a small part of it right now - Blake attacked quickly and used superior positioning to corner Ruby or cut off her lanes of attack. So, instead of letting Blake do that, Ruby needed to _not_ be cornered and forced into constantly defending.

Except that wasn't a strategy! How was she supposed to do that?

She'd have to figure that out later, because Blake shot straight towards Ruby and slashed towards her neck. Except that was just a clone and Blake actually sent a stab towards Ruby's right side.

The only evidence that Ruby was correct in finding the real Blake was a loud clang of metal before she disappeared again. But then she re-appeared on the opposite side - only that wasn't her. She was behind Ruby. Above her. To the left, the right, in front.

The string of uninterrupted attacks was rapidly multiplying, and Ruby was losing track of where Blake was with every clone. It was dizzying and disorienting, and somehow Ruby kept reacting just in the nick of time, but she could feel her grip on the battle slipping. There was so much happening so fast, she'd never find an opportunity to attack -

"Relax," Blake slipped in between a flurry of clones.

There was hardly even an opening for Ruby to take a breath, let alone try to respond. But...she didn't need a breath. She didn't! She wasn't out of breath, and her hand wasn't tiring like it normally did. It still felt fresh and...strong. And what a difference that made. Blake's blows used to wear Ruby down over time, especially this many in a row, but not this time.

This was actually _better_ than having two regular hands!

Encouraged, Ruby tried to do exactly what Blake suggested - relax. It was such a weird piece of advice, because how relaxed could Ruby possibly be when it looked like thousands of blades and clones were flashing around her? If she wanted to win, she needed to block the attacks while also searching for chinks in Blake's armor.

Maybe that was it. Maybe she was trying too hard to win.

Doing the best to relax her mind, she reminded herself that losing wouldn't be the end of the world. And wasn't it kind of fun having Blake flipping all around while Ruby expertly parried every slash and slice? And her glove was _working_. It held Crescent Rose steadily, while she swung the weapon with a level of force that she wouldn't have dared to dream about only a month ago.

Sure, it was her ultimate goal to become a huntress again, but not before she was ready. If she let go of trying so hard to win, she could actually have _fun_ fighting against a crazy talented ninja who was also like a sister to her.

A short giggle of delight slipped out when she deflected a few more attacks with ease.

She didn't need to win. She could just have fun.

It was like a light switch switched on in her mind. Or switched off, most likely. When she stopped frantically searching for miniscule muscle twitches that told her where the next attack was coming from, she found that she could trust her intuition to react for her. The clangs of metal grew steadier as she blocked every single one instead of using a combination of blocks and her semblance. And when a ribbon whipped towards her foot, she hardly noticed as she seamlessly stepped over it and kept her balance.

Ignoring a clone, Ruby spun around and caught the next attack head on. A brief moment of surprise registered on Blake's eyes, quickly replaced by determination as she disappeared again.

Relax.

After all of the work Ruby had done, it was time to trust in herself. Maybe she knew what she was doing. Maybe the early mornings of practice had been enough. Maybe the late nights of studying had been enough. And maybe her newly reinforced hand was enough to bring everything together.

The more she let go of the desire to win, the easier the battle flowed. And the longer they fought, the more comfortable she felt. It was such a weird feeling...but somehow she felt connected to the battle...more attuned to what Blake was going to do _before_ she even did it.

Knowing, or sensing, what was coming next, Ruby watched as Blake leapt over her head, twisting easily in the air to slash down with a series of rapid, precise attacks. Blake landed without a stumble, and the muscles in her legs were already coiled in preparation of springing away.

The motion implied the Blake would jump out of the way, but a clone appeared and seamlessly moved to the side while Blake planted one foot in the ground and dashed forward instead. Grasping the opportunity - the split second she saved by knowing exactly which vision was real - Ruby caught Gambol Shroud with the edge of Crescent Rose when a downward slash flew towards her. Summoning an extra boost of strength, Ruby shoved the weapon into the ground.

As soon as Blake's weapon hit the dirt, Ruby curled her free hand into a fist and followed her momentum across her body - landing a punch squarely on Blake's jaw. Ruby had nowhere near the power that Yang did, but the blow still knocked Blake off balance and sent her stumbling to the side. Before she had the chance to recover, Ruby blasted forward and looped Crescent Rose around...nothing but a clone.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she _knew_ that Blake was right behind her, already capitalizing on her mistake. Shooting across the yard, Ruby used her advantage in speed to open distance between them before planting Crescent Rose in the ground and flying through the turn. When the force of the abrupt direction change threatened to pull her away from her weapon, she tightened her left hand and felt everything lock down. Her glove was holding like a pro - there was no way she was going to lose her grip this time.

But Blake didn't know that.

The instant that thought popped into Ruby's mind, she willingly let go of Crescent Rose and flew towards the fence separating their yard from the neighbor's. Thankfully, she managed to stop before slamming into it, sparing herself from having to fix it yet again. When she turned around, Blake was standing between her and Crescent Rose - her weapon still stuck in the ground.

Twirling Gambol around in one hand, Blake was wearing one of those looks - it wasn't quite a smile, but she was definitely pleased with the results. Which made sense - even if she was willing to help Ruby train, Blake also didn't like to lose. So...Ruby needed to make it seem like Blake had notched herself another win, when Ruby had actually left Crescent Rose there on purpose.

Forcing a frown, Ruby flexed the glove on her left hand as if trying to figure out why it hadn't worked as expected. Blake needed to believe that Ruby's broken hand had failed her yet again, and that the glove hadn't masked her fundamental flaw.

It totally had, but Ruby couldn't let Blake know that right now. No, this was what Blake liked to call 'gamesmanship' - convincing an opponent that things weren't as they seemed. Blake did it to Ruby all the time with her clones. Now it was Ruby's chance to try it out.

Shifting her eyes, she tried to make it look like she was puzzling her way out of this mess. The trees, Blake, Crescent Rose, back to Blake. Meanwhile, Blake was approaching cautiously with Gambol held at the ready. She knew that Ruby would try to run, but wasn't sure which direction.

Ruby needed Blake to keep guessing - and not pay attention to the movement of her gloved hand. As fast as possible, Ruby brought the tips of her fingers to her thumb in rapid succession - so fast it should look like nothing more than a nervous twitch.

One-three-two-three-four.

The world suddenly slowed - one of Blake's ears twitching backward as Crescent Rose began folding up, releasing itself from the ground and then shooting towards them. In the brief moment that Blake's attention was elsewhere, Ruby burst forward - hurtling straight towards her opponent.

Blake quickly read the situation and her eyes re-focused on the battle, but by then it was too late. Ruby was already upon her - close enough that Ruby actually watched Blake rotate her grip on Gambol Shroud while her muscles coiled in anticipation of springing away. But for once, Ruby had been too fast and Blake had reacted too late.

When Ruby leaned her left hand down to the grass, Crescent Rose swept underneath Blake's feet and sent her falling backwards with no balance. Catching Crescent Rose securely in one reinforced hand, Ruby immediately leapt in the air as she unfolded the weapon again. Blake was already trying to correct her fall, but Ruby managed to grab ahold of one of Blake's ribbons to prevent her from getting away as they crashed back to earth together.

When Blake hit the ground, Ruby landed right with her, pointing the blade of Crescent Rose towards her neck.

For a few frozen seconds the two of them just stared at each other, both breathing heavily from the battle that had abruptly ended. But when Blake smiled, Ruby jumped backwards so she could pull Blake to her feet.

"That was...really good," Blake commented, brushing blades of dead grass off the back of her legs. "You can summon Crescent Rose now?"

Realization at what had just happened was beginning to dawn on Ruby, sending excitement ricocheting through her veins. Hopping up and down in an effort to get the energy out, her teeth were nearly chattering in happiness.

"Yeah! I figured...who wouldn't want a returning weapon?" she answered. "Like, now I can totally throw her across the yard and not have to go get her myself!"

Holy crap. She'd done it. She'd actually done it! She'd beaten Blake! The ninja of ninjas. The shadow of shadows. The holy - cow - no - freaking - way -

"Always resourceful…" Blake replied with a thoughtful expression. "And I'm guessing that you didn't actually lose your grip?"

When Ruby grinned at the clever ploy, Blake's ears twitched.

"You're getting too sneaky for your own good." Blake shook her head before giving Ruby another smile. "Do you want some pointers?"

"Always!"

"Just one - remember that you want to use as little motion as possible," Blake instructed while holding Gambol back in front of her. "So when I go like this -"

When Blake went through the attacks at half speed, Ruby reacted to them just as she had a few minutes earlier. But at one specific point, Blake froze and pointed towards Ruby's elbow.

"Right there - is that the most efficient response?"

"Yessss-no!" she exclaimed when she saw what Blake was referring to. Tuck her elbow in, slide her fingers a little further down and she could slice a fraction of a second from her reaction time. Brilliant!

Again at half speed, they went through the same motions with Ruby using her newly-learned, ultra-efficient move. Gah! And it totally would've opened up another attacking opportunity if she'd done it earlier!

At least she knew it now. And she loved how Blake could remember tiny parts of their fights and show Ruby what could be done just a little bit better. At this point, it felt like it was only a matter of inches here and there that was keeping her from greatness.

But she'd _freaking_ won!

Reaching out, Blake placed one hand on Ruby's shoulder and caught her gaze.

"When you're relaxed and relying on your instincts, no one's going to be able to stop you."

It was an awfully big vote of confidence, but Ruby would take it! She needed all the votes she could get.

"Thanks, Blake," she replied before bouncing out from underneath Blake's hand. She wanted to do something - punch the air, do cartwheels, run around the block half a _zillion_ times!

"How's it going you two?"

Blake and Ruby turned towards the house, where Yang had just sauntered out onto the porch.

"Sounded like we had some raccoons up on the roof again," Yang added with an easy grin.

"I won!" Ruby called out excitedly. Yang's grin immediately disappeared and her eyes widened.

"You...what?"

"She beat me," Blake confirmed, walking over to give Yang a kiss on the cheek. "She has some new tricks."

"You wanna see?" Ruby asked, shooting over and placing Crescent Rose in her sister's hands before receiving an answer. "Ok, throw Crescent Rose as far as you can!"

To be honest, she wasn't 100% sure that this would work, but Yang was drawing the weapon back before she had time to second guess herself. A moment later, her scythe was bolting through the air like a rocket - in a few seconds it'd probably be over the woods and into the neighborhoods on the far side.

Ruby hastily tapped out the same code, and Crescent Rose jarred to a stop in midair before flying back to them. She jumped up to grab it on its return before landing in front of Yang, who was nodding her head in appreciation and looking closely at the weapon in Ruby's hand.

"So that's what that was," Blake mused, gesturing towards Ruby's hand. "I thought you were just fidgeting again."

"Nope! It's a super secret code that calls Crescent Rose back to me!"

"One-three-two-three-four," Blake replied, tilting her head to the side and smiling when Ruby's jaw dropped in shock. But before Ruby could reply, Yang nodded towards Crescent Rose.

"Hold it out," Yang instructed. "Left hand."

Understanding what Yang wanted to do, Ruby grinned and held out the weapon in her left hand, tightening her gloved grip when her sister grabbed onto the other end and pulled.

She wasn't _quite_ ready for the strength of the pull, which nearly yanked her right off of her feet, but she managed to hold onto her weapon. Yang then lifted Ruby all the way off the ground and wiggled her around in the air a little bit - all while she clung to Crescent Rose with one gloved hand. After a few more shakes, Yang set Ruby carefully down on the ground and released Ruby's weapon.

Turning to Blake, the two of them shared a long look before Yang finally gave Ruby a smile.

"I guess you're ready -"

Letting out a loud 'whoop!' of joy, Ruby sped over to give Yang a big hug and then gave Blake one was well.

Ready! She was finally ready. The word had just come out of Yang's mouth!

"Guess we'll look for a hunt you can go on," Yang added, letting out a surprised 'oomph' of air when Ruby crashed her into another hug. Laughing joyfully, Yang ruffled Ruby's hair. "But we should probably go celebrate first, right?"

The offer made Ruby gasp and pull away from the hug.

"Ice cream?"

"Sure! Never too early for ice cream! Let's go celebrate Blake's loss." Yang's grin only grew when Blake glared at her. "I'm just saying! Isn't it _wonderful_ that you lost, Blake? Look how happy Ruby is!"

Playing along with her sister's tease, Ruby beamed at Blake and nodded her head enthusiastically. Blake smiled back at Ruby and gently squeezed her shoulder before forcing a playful frown and stalking past the two of them, replacing Gambol on her back while she walked away.

"I'll meet you inside. And I demand a rematch," Blake called back to them.

Chuckling happily, Yang grinned at Ruby before chasing after the girl. "Aww, sweetie, don't be like that! I mean, I know how much you hate to _lose_ , but now we get to have ice cream! Isn't that great? _Losing_ is _great_!"

Giggling at Yang's antics, Ruby folded up Crescent Rose and sighed in relief. Her heart was beating frantically from the battle, but also from the excitement of the results. Which had gone in her favor - it was about time she got a win! After all of the work she'd put in, some of it just a _little_ painful, it was nice to know that it was paying off in the end.

No pain, no gain, as Yang liked to say. Although she normally said that right after daring Ruby to eat something drenched in hot sauce…

But she'd done it! She was _officially_ ready. She'd gone through all of the hot sauce-induced fire and emerged ready to tackle a _real_ Grimm outside the walls. It might be dangerous. It might be scary. But it was everything she'd been working for.

Holding Crescent Rose easily in her left hand, she picked up the ring on her necklace and flipped it to one side, spinning it all the way around her neck.

"Thanks for the assist," she said before grinning and chasing her sister inside.

Maybe today Yang would let her get _two_ Ruby's Specials!


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! We've made it to the end of another week and have stumbled upon another new chapter! Again, thank you all for your support. I love hearing your thoughts and guesses on what's going on. That's one of my favorite things about writing fan fiction - hearing from you guys!**

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Redemption was what she was after. Or was it forgiveness she was seeking? Absolution from the weight of guilt that had broken her spirit...freedom from the cowardice that had controlled her actions for far too long...

There might not be one word that accurately described what Weiss sought here in Vale. She wanted to fix her mistakes and make right her wrongs. She wanted to earn back the trust and relationships she'd once so thoughtlessly thrown away.

Every difficult step was a step in the right direction. No matter how challenging it was to move forward, she must press on. Whenever her heart raced with anxiety, she thought about the scowl on Yang's face - the one that said Weiss didn't deserve to be here. Whenever her mind tried to convince her that life would be much easier if she was far from this place, she thought about the understanding in Blake's eyes - how she was rooting for Weiss to stay. And whenever her feet froze to the sidewalk, one second from turning and running the other way, she thought about Ruby's smile - how it was still the same, how it still made Weiss feel like she'd accomplished something extraordinary even when that was far from the case.

Earning forgiveness wasn't easy, she reminded herself multiple times a day. But simply being here, making the effort to correct her mistakes...these small actions counted for something, right?

The fact that Ruby was messaging her now was incredible, but Weiss wanted so much more. She wanted to be closer - in both proximity and relationship. She wanted to reach that place where they could easily finish each other's sentences or communicate without using words. She wanted to reclaim the certainty that no matter what happened, Ruby would stand beside her without fail. She wanted to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that no matter how mentally beaten she might be, Ruby would never think poorly of her.

There was still such a long way to go...years and years of closeness and familiarity which she couldn't possibly hope to replace in a few days. Yet, she found herself wishing that some form of recollection might click in Ruby's mind. That even if Ruby didn't remember outright, she might remember the _feelings_ they'd once shared...like a distant echo reverberating through a deep canyon.

Casting such a wish was foolhardy, especially when Weiss worried each night that when she woke up she might not find the willpower to stay any longer. There was a deeply rooted seed of doubt in her chest incessantly whispering that one morning she would wake up and realize the full gravity of what had been lost - and that realization would send her flying out the door once more.

Every fiber in her being _wished_ that those fears were irrational, but when she'd run once before...there could be no certainty anymore. If she could look in the mirror and tell herself that she wouldn't abandon her team again, the relief would be life altering. But she couldn't. Instead, the only person she saw in the mirror was a terrified ghost of herself, walking on eggshells all day long while trying to avoid slipping up again.

One thing that never changed, not even while she'd been in Atlas, was that she woke every morning with thoughts of Ruby on her mind. Only now, along with the dully aching regret and remorse, there was a growing desire to see Ruby again. Instead of focusing on work, Weiss focused on creating excuses and ways for the two of them to spend more time together.

There was still so much to be made up for. There was still so much that needed mending, even before considering her own mental state, but…every time she was the reason Ruby smiled, it felt like a piece of her heart was restored - a shattered fragment softly clicked back into place.

What if this was all they would ever be? Could Weiss really be content as Ruby's friend and nothing more?

It was too early to think about that.

"I wanted to invite all of you," Weiss murmured to herself while walking up the sidewalk to Ruby's door, wringing her hands all the while. "I wanted to _personally_ invite all of you to come to Schnee Dust for a tour. I remember Ruby mentioned wanting to go and I thought it would be...fun."

Nodding at her excuse of the day, she paused a few steps from the front door and took a deep breath in preparation.

When she hadn't heard from Ruby after their good morning text, she decided that she needed to come up with a reason to go over and see what was going on. Ruby had mentioned how she normally forgot to check her scroll due to lack of use, so Weiss figured that Ruby had just left it in her room or something.

Usually Weiss wasn't so impatient, but being around Ruby had always been something of an addiction. There was an infectious cheerfulness to her that Weiss had grown to love above anything else. That quality was still there in force, and she could already feel it grabbing ahold of her. No matter how...raw...her emotions could be in Ruby's presence, there was still that desire, that urge for more.

What was it that Blake had said? Ruby…'lights up'...when she sees Weiss? It was fortunate that Blake couldn't see what happened inside Weiss' mind and heart whenever she saw Ruby...

Taking another deep breath, Weiss crossed the remaining steps, raised one hand, and knocked twice before she convinced herself out of it. Expecting to hear Yang's heavy footsteps, she was surprised when the door flew open a couple of seconds later and Ruby was standing there, a cloud of petals still swirling to the ground.

And Ruby immediately broke into a smile that melted Weiss' heart.

"Weiss! What're you doing here?"

"I thought I would…" Weiss began to say, becoming temporarily lost in Ruby's eyes before blinking away. "I just thought I'd drop by," she finally answered, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep onto her cheeks.

It was a far cry from whatever excuse she'd thought of, but she couldn't remember what that excuse was when her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest. And when it came to Ruby, if Weiss didn't have a lie carefully in place her brain automatically supplied the truth. Thankfully, Ruby thought nothing of it - her eyes lit up with joy instead.

"That's great! Come on in!"

When Ruby waved her inside, Weiss walked through the door and into the small home that was growing more comfortable with each visit. It took one glance around the living room and kitchen to know that Ruby was currently the only one home - which made sense because Weiss had actually been able to knock, unlike whenever Blake was around.

"Where are your roommates?" Weiss asked, watching Ruby close the door and hop merrily into the living room.

"They're running some errands. I was supposed to go, but told them I was too tired." Ruby stood in front of Weiss and leaned casually against the arm of the sofa - the nonchalant gesture taken straight from Yang's repertoire.

"I'm sorry, did I keep you up too late last night?"

"Oh, no!" Ruby replied, shaking her head side-to-side so vigorously that her short hair shook with her. "I just didn't wanna go. We got ice cream and then they brought me home - I've been working on stuff in the garage instead!"

There was a part of Weiss that was readily prepared to accept blame for keeping Ruby up too late, but Ruby's grin immediately washed that guilt away. It might be difficult, but it was important to remember that Ruby was in charge of her own decisions - if she stayed up late, it was because she wanted to. The hardest part about accepting that reality was when Weiss thought about the plausible reasons _why_ Ruby wanted to do so...

"What are you working on, if you don't mind me asking?" Weiss asked, changing the subject rather than dwelling on that train of thought any longer.

"I'm trying to make a dagger fly. No luck so far." With a not-at-all discouraged grin, Ruby shook her head at the lack of success. As she did so, her necklace slipped from the collar of her tee and fell into the light. The mere sight of the silver ring made Weiss' heart give a powerful twinge of agony.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she mumbled while shifting her eyes away from the mocking sparkle of diamonds. There was something so intensely hurtful about seeing the ring off of Ruby's finger...not that Weiss expected Ruby to continue wearing it, but...well, there really was no ideal solution in this instance.

"You wanna see?"

There wasn't time to give an answer because Ruby had already stood and was walking towards the garage door, assuming that Weiss would follow. Which she immediately did - her answer was 'yes' anyway. Heading through the metal door into the converted workshop that had probably never held a vehicle since Ruby moved in, Weiss instantly sensed familiarity creeping out of the woodwork.

The space was far smaller. There were towers of cardboard moving boxes in one corner and miscellaneous pieces of old boxing equipment in another, but the atmosphere of Ruby's workshop was identical to the others Weiss had known. Taking a deep breath at the entrance to the garage, as if she needed to hold her breath for the entirety of this experience, Weiss carefully followed Ruby to a large workbench that was covered in various tools and scraps of material.

"Sorry, it's kinda a mess in here," Ruby mumbled, shoving a pile of metal off of the only chair and onto the ground so that Weiss could sit down. The ruckus it made while hitting the ground made her cringe, but thankfully lasted only a second.

"Don't worry. It's actually...it's comfortable," she replied, her eyes searching the garage while she perched upon the chair like there might be needles hidden in the cushion. Her response made Ruby laugh - the sound like music to her ears.

"Can you tell Yang that? She doesn't understand how my room is so clean and the garage is so messy."

It had never made sense to Weiss either. How could Ruby work in such a mess? How could she find _anything?_ But...this was the way her workshops had always been. There was something about the chaos and disorder that made sense to Ruby and no one else. It helped her mind 'work better,' she always said.

Once, as a semi-joke, Weiss spent an entire afternoon tidying up Ruby's workshop - and it had been marvelous to view in its sparkling glory, if only for a few minutes. Ruby had been...perturbed...and then almost immediately set a cabinet on fire. It was _supposedly_ a complete accident, which Weiss tentatively believed, but she hadn't dared clean the room again. The workshop became the only room in the house that Ruby was allowed to organize in _any_ way she wanted.

"I feel like the mess helps me think better," Ruby commented while pulling a few odds and ends out of several different drawers, the timely muse making Weiss smile.

As usual, Ruby never stopped moving when surrounded by weapons. First, she found something in one drawer, then picked another scrap up off of the floor. Something else was hidden under a pile of washers in the middle of the workbench. None of the items seemed to have any correlation to each other, but Ruby was putting something together in her mind that was going to utilize all of the pieces.

Watching Ruby move so confidently throughout the space put Weiss almost completely at ease - like there was comfort to be found in how Ruby could navigate the disorder without ever seeming disoriented. But that's what had made her such a great team captain - her ability to stand in the middle of a battle that had fallen into chaos and never appear lost or overwhelmed…

"Having all these random items around might serve as a sort of inspiration - helping you come up with ideas," Weiss suggested as a plausible explanation before reaching out and picking up a small dagger that looked like the one Ruby was currently working on. It was all the same shade of black with a red tint along the edge of the blade that gave the impression that it was glowing with blood. It was a sinister looking weapon, that was for sure.

"Yang brought that home for me," Ruby commented. For the briefest of moments, she actually stopped moving and leaned both elbows on the workbench to watch Weiss look over the dagger.

"Ah - that makes more sense," she muttered quietly to herself, turning the blade carefully in her hand. Yang had always had a special way of separating people from their weapons - mostly by physically tearing them out of their owners' hands. A great majority came from goons and idiots who tried to pick a fight with her, before being inevitably inherited by Ruby. Ruby loved to take them apart and put them back together again - with new mysteries attached, of course.

"How are you trying to make it fly?" Weiss asked, holding the dagger out to Ruby.

"I guess 'fly' isn't the right word, but I put a recall in the hilt," Ruby explained while twirling the blade between her fingers in a way that made Weiss nervous for her safety. "I want to be able to throw it and then call it back to me, but right now I can just throw it - the recall isn't working. Here, wanna see?"

When Weiss nodded, Ruby handed her the blade and pointed at a small box sitting on top of a whole stack of boxes in one corner of the garage.

"Try to hit that box."

Looking at the box, a good ten feet away from them, Weiss turned back to Ruby in surprise.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah! Go ahead and try - can't hurt anything," Ruby replied with a nod and encouraging smile.

Now, there was one member of their team who could easily pick up a dagger and toss it across the room with pinpoint accuracy. That person wasn't her. And the fact that the box had the name 'Yang' written on the side in black marker didn't make her feel much better about attempting to skewer a knife through it...

"Alright…" she reluctantly agreed despite her misgivings.

Standing up, she squared her feet and faced the target head on. She was going to make a fool of herself, she was certain of it, but only Ruby was here to see.

"Try to snap your wrist," Ruby suggested, making the motion in mid-air. Nodding, Weiss focused on the box and took a deep breath. Holding the dagger between two fingers, she brought it up to about her ear, stared down the destination, and flicked it forward with a snap of her wrist.

The dagger flipped through the air and hit the side of the box, but on the flat edge instead of the tip. Bouncing off, it fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Hey! You hit it!" Ruby exclaimed with a happy smile. "That's _way_ better than my first try! Now see, this button should work -"

There was a small button sitting on top of the workbench that Ruby quickly pressed, but nothing happened.

"But it doesn't!" she finally proclaimed before scrambling across the garage and returning with the dagger a few seconds later. Tossing the weapon onto the bench, Ruby turned to Weiss and said "Up!" while popping both fists up in a fighting stance. Without a second thought, Weiss immediately mimicked in the way Ruby had 'taught' her the other night. The quick response made Ruby grin and gently tap each of her fists to Weiss' knuckles.

"I knew it! You're such a fast learner!" Ruby gushed, lighting a fire behind Weiss' cheeks in no time.

The old version of Weiss would have been indignant at the perceived snub. _Of course_ she was a fast learner. She'd been top of her class in every subject since starting school. Being a quick study was _expected_ of her.

But when Ruby said these things...Weiss only felt more accomplished.

Once, she had 'accidentally' tripped Jaune into a lake when he made the assertion that she was a 'surprisingly' good fighter. When he'd bobbed to the surface, sputtering, he whined about how Ruby made comments like that all the time and was never tripped into a lake for it. That was the moment Weiss realized...Boy Wonder was actually right about something. Ruby _did_ make comments like that all the time and, instead of being upset, Weiss would blush or be embarrassed.

That was the first of many realizations that pointed directly to one very obvious answer - she was in love with her partner.

"So...what else are you working on?" Weiss asked while retaking her seat and wishing her blush away. The question prompted Ruby to move items this way and that on the workbench while searching for something to show Weiss.

"Oh I gotta whole bunch of different things around here…"

"What's this?" Weiss asked, reaching towards a small, roundish black lump that caught her eye. Before Weiss could touch it, Ruby burst over and snatched the item off of the table, a fresh layer of rose petals landing amongst the tools.

"That's, uh...garbage," Ruby explained. "Really should've thrown it away already..."

When Ruby threw the lump into a nearby garbage can, Weiss smiled and knowingly shook her head. At least Ruby had prevented her from touching whatever it was. Once, she'd stuck her hand into a container holding what had turned out to be liquified horse spleen. She'd never found out _why_ exactly that was in their home, but from Ruby's profuse apologies it had had something to do with 'Nora' and some type of 'dare.' That had been more than enough information for Weiss.

While Ruby walked back to her, Weiss' eyes caught another piece of work that she was surprised she hadn't noticed earlier.

"Is that…" she began, nodding towards the contraption partially buried underneath several loops of different gauge wires. "What you've been working on?"

"Yup!" Ruby exclaimed with a grin, grabbing the red glove, pulling it on, and walking over so that Weiss could inspect it closely. "It's finished actually! Just have a bit more painting to do."

Honestly, when Ruby had talked about the glove Weiss hadn't known what to expect. But seeing it in person...she could now say that it was _incredible_. Like always, Ruby's attention to even the smallest detail was beyond anything Weiss had ever seen. From the cleverly hidden seams to the perfectly painted plating - aesthetically it was a masterpiece. But how did it work?

"Does it help?"

"Does it ever!" Ruby replied, curling her gloved hand into a tight fist. "I'm way over 100% on my left hand now! I've been considering making another one for my right, just for the heck of it."

"Really?" The disbelief was evident in Weiss' tone, which Ruby immediately picked up on.

"I'll give you a demonstration!" Moving various supplies around the workbench, Ruby finally found a solid rod of wood the length of a ruler. "This'll do!" she said before heading back to Weiss.

"A standard piece of wood, right?" Ruby asked before handing it over. "Why don't you give it a good squeeze and see how much damage you can do?"

It was a ridiculous question, but Weiss was loathe to turn down such a simple request when Ruby was in her saleswoman role. Taking the piece of wood, Weiss squeezed it in one hand before handing it back to Ruby.

"It's solid," she replied, much to Ruby's apparent amusement.

"Look, you totally put a little dent in it, see? You must be super-duper strong!" Ruby held it out and pointed to a line in the grain that had definitely not come from Weiss' own strength, but she appreciated the compliment anyway.

"Ok, now for the main event!" Ruby called out while holding the piece of wood in her gloved hand. Curling her fingers, Ruby gripped the rod tightly. It looked like very minimal effort on her part, yet Weiss heard the wood crack and groan in protest.

"Tada!" Ruby was announcing several seconds later, holding it out for Weiss to see.

There was now a very definitive indentation where Ruby's hand had been, with cracked wood that had very nearly broken in half. In this damaged state, Weiss could snap the rod into two pieces without exerting much effort at all.

"That's...impressive." More than impressive, the opportunities it opened up in regards to combat were potentially endless. What Ruby had crafted for herself was essentially a vice grip akin to Yang's arm. She could latch herself to anything she could fit her hand around and refuse to be torn free. Crescent Rose. A ledge. An enemy.

It was incredible.

"Have you named it yet?" Weiss asked. It was something of a tradition amongst huntsmen to give names to the weapons and tools that aided them in battle. For some, it was a gesture of respect. Others, a symbol of importance. For Ruby, it was a combination of both, plus just plain fun.

"Not yet," Ruby replied, looking at the glove like a name might already be written on it somewhere. "I've been throwing some names around, but nothing feels right."

"Well don't think about it too much. The best names appear when you least expect them."

When Ruby grinned at the advice, Weiss smiled back - their eyes locking for a few brief seconds that sent her pulse inching higher. It immediately leveled off when Ruby turned back to her gloved hand, flexing her fingers and watching the perfectly constructed metal plates slide smoothly back and forth as she did so.

It was clear that Ruby was proud of her accomplishment, as she should be. There were very few people who could build something like that from scratch...and even fewer who possessed the determination to do so in order to overcome a physical roadblock.

"Ruby! Can you help put away groceries?"

Weiss jumped in surprise at the voice shouted through the open garage door, having been too busy staring into Ruby's eyes to hear anyone enter the house.

"Coming!" Ruby yelled back, pulling off the glove and setting it on the bench.

Glancing towards the house, Weiss bit her lip in thought. It sounded like Yang and Blake had just returned from their errands, but...what reception would Weiss receive today? Every instant she and Yang spent together felt like it pushed them one step closer to Yang finally erupting like a volcano. Could today be that day?

"I should probably get going," Weiss said while hurriedly standing from the chair.

Unfortunately, she would have to go through the house in order to leave, but if she said goodbye to Ruby now she wouldn't need to linger inside for very long. Sure, maybe she was a coward, but a full blown confrontation with Yang was _not_ what she wanted to get into right now - especially with Ruby around.

"But you just got here!"

Ruby's audible disappointment was enough to make Weiss pause and furrow her brow. Sensing the weakened resolve, Ruby glanced towards the door and then back at Weiss.

"I'd like you to stay!" Ruby said with a hopeful expression. "As my guest."

With an imploring smile and a set of unbelievable puppy dog eyes aimed her way, Weiss quickly came to the conclusion that being Ruby's guest would be worth any verbal snipes Yang might choose to make.

After Weiss nodded in acceptance of the offer, her heart did an immediate somersault when Ruby beamed with joy. Waving Weiss after her in what could only be considered a gesture of encouragement, Ruby bounded into the house with Weiss hesitantly in tow. Stepping through the doorway, Weiss found that Blake and Yang were currently walking through the front door with several bags of groceries in their hands.

If Blake was surprised by Weiss' presence, she did an excellent job of concealing it. Yang, on the other hand...

"Hey Weiss," Blake said with a smile while Yang gave a nod of acknowledgement and dropped two bags on top of the dining table.

Seeing the pair suddenly reminded Weiss of the excuse she'd invented to stop by in the first place. It was an invitation she could've easily extended over the phone, but in person was far better - mostly because then she could gauge Ruby's reaction.

"That reminds me," Weiss directed to Ruby, who'd already used her semblance to race outside and back in with a bag in each arm. "I wanted to...personally invite all of you to Schnee Dust in the next couple weeks. I remember you wanted to go and thought it would be fun."

"No way! Really?"

Ruby's excitement filled Weiss with relief. As did the fact that she'd gotten through the entire invitation with hardly a stutter.

"Of course," she replied with a pleased smile. "I'd be willing to give you a personal tour too, if you want."

The offer made Ruby's grin widen and Weiss' burgeoning satisfaction grow.

"That sounds like so much fun! Doesn't it?" Turning to Yang, Ruby received a small smile and nod in response. "Oh, but what day? I'm free _every_ day except the day I'm going on a hunt with Blake and Yang! Which is...I don't even know when that is yet..."

Ruby turned questioningly to Yang, but Weiss' mind immediately focused on one word and drowned out anything else. She must have heard Ruby incorrectly...

"I'm sorry - you're what?"

"Going on a hunt!" Ruby repeated with every ounce of zeal as the first time. "Yang said I'm ready!"

"Really?" Weiss asked, directing her sheer disbelief towards Yang rather than Ruby.

"Yeah!" Ruby replied, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet in excitement. "I'll get to try out my new hand against real Grimm!"

"Yeah you do!" Yang gave her sister a high five while walking past before shoving a few boxes into an open cupboard. "Blake and I actually spoke to Ozpin while we were out and picked up a small contract. We'll go over the details later tonight, k?"

The news made Ruby squeal with delight and run over to hug Yang, who smiled at the enthusiasm and tenderly patted Ruby's head.

"You got it!" Ruby exclaimed before turning to Weiss with stars in her eyes. "I hope there's Ursa. Tons of them! Or Nevermores - oooh do you think we'll see Nevermores? What about Beowolves? There's _gotta_ be Beowolves, right?"

Each subsequent Grimm made Weiss feel sicker and sicker to her stomach while her heartbeat drummed loudly in her ears. The idea of _any_ of those creatures being in the remote vicinity as Ruby filled Weiss with a sense of dread unlike anything she'd experienced before.

Yang wasn't crazy enough to take Ruby back out there, was she?

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Weiss asked Yang's back, finally getting Yang to make eye contact with her. Panic was building in her chest at the image of Ruby out there in the forest, Grimm surrounding her, the yellow glow of stingers flashing through the late afternoon twilight...

Naturally, Yang shrugged in the face of Weiss' anxiety while pulling a box from a grocery bag and tossing it across the kitchen to Ruby. "Sure, why not?"

The laissez-faire attitude didn't work on Weiss today. It didn't work most days, but especially not today. Her eyes flicked over to Ruby, who was happily climbing on top of the counter in order to reach the top of the cupboards. Turning back to Yang, Weiss lowered her voice.

"Because the _last time_ -"

Before she could finish the sentence, Yang raised one hand to cut her off and leveled her with a firm gaze.

"She's ready, Weiss."

The words filled her with incredulity. She couldn't believe that. In her eyes, Ruby would _never_ be ready. And, if it were up to her, Ruby would never set foot outside the city walls again.

"I am!" Ruby chirped from beside them. "I got the calibration ironed out in my glove - now it's strong enough to crush a small rock into...smaller rocks. But it reacts within a fraction of a second of when I want it too. Basically fast enough that you can't even tell a difference!"

Sparing a thin smile, Weiss' mind raced at the unexpected news which had just fallen like a missile onto her already shaky life. Sure, the glove was incredible. It was technologically sound and appeared to solve the one lingering handicap from Ruby's injuries. But in the forest a fraction of a second could be the difference between life and death.

It was far too much risk for Weiss to accept, but...Ruby looked so excited about going...was there any way to convince her out of it? No, Weiss wouldn't be able to convince Ruby to stay, but maybe -

"I'm coming with you," she stated resolutely when the solution came to her. It was the only way Weiss could make sure Ruby was safe, but the assertion made Yang let out a derisive scoff while opening a cupboard to put away a box of cereal.

"Like hell you are."

"If you think I'm letting you leave without me," Weiss whispered forcefully across the kitchen table, "Then you're a bigger fool than I've ever given you credit for."

"Weiss, you're a huntress?"

The unconcealed surprise in Ruby's tone caught everyone's attention in full. Sharing a quick look, Blake and Yang turned away from the conversation - plainly saying that Weiss was going to have to handle this on her own.

She'd never told Ruby she was a huntress. It had never come up in conversation and she'd always just assumed that Ruby knew. Of course, why would Ruby know that? In her eyes, they'd only met several days ago.

Numbly nodding her head, Weiss was relieved when Ruby broke out a huge smile. And she was even more relieved when she heard Yang let out a huge sigh and go back to putting the groceries away. Their short-lived argument had been settled without the two of them coming to an agreement on their own - now that Ruby was excited about Weiss being a huntress, Yang knew there was no way Weiss wasn't coming with them.

"What's your weapon?" The question was hardly out of Ruby's mouth before she added, "Can I see it?"

It was that second request which caused Blake to shoot a worried glance Weiss' way - both of them likely thinking the same thing. While they'd been a functioning team, Ruby made extensive upgrades to Myrtenaster. Her fingerprints were very literally all over the weapon - would she recognize her own handiwork?

But there was no logical excuse Weiss could come up with to explain why Ruby _couldn't_ see Myrtenaster. And, since Weiss had just strong-armed her way onto their hunt, Ruby would be seeing the weapon eventually. There was really no other option but to nod and fake a smile.

"I use a rapier -"

"Do you use a locker? Can you call it over here?"

Right now? Ruby wanted to do this right now?

The events of the last few minutes made it feel like Weiss' life had suddenly spiraled back out of control - her meticulously guarded restraint scattered to the wind by unexpected knowledge that had appeared out of nowhere.

Myrtenaster _was_ in a locker though...most huntsmen refused to leave home without having their weapons a few button clicks away from arriving by their side.

"I...yes, I do. I can -" she stammered. The answer made Ruby clap her hands together in excitement before her silver eyes suddenly widened.

"Shoot! I forgot to turn off the welder!"

With her heart rate steadily climbing, Weiss watched Ruby disappear into the garage, leaving a cloud of petals in her wake. Reaching out, Weiss deftly caught one of the small breaths of roses in her hand before it could reach the ground.

For the longest time she'd refused to allow Ruby to touch Myrtenaster. She hired _trained professionals_ to take care of her weapon, after all. The best in Remnant. They were _masters_ of weaponry with _decades_ of experience serving other prominent huntsmen - not some young child who thought tinkering was the same as completing actual upgrades which would save lives in combat.

At that point in her life, Weiss thought her discretion was extremely well-founded. That was, until she watched Yang, who didn't like it if people _looked_ at Ember Celica wrong, casually toss her prized gauntlets to Ruby after every mission. That had been easy enough for Weiss to dismiss - it was just sisters being sisters, having complete trust in one another. No more thought was wasted on the subject until the day Pyrrha knocked on their door. Apparently, Yang had been talking about the modifications Ruby made to Ember Celica and Pyrrha wanted to know if Ruby would look at Milo too.

 _Pyrrha Nikos._

Forget sisters trusting each other - this was the most renowned fighter in the entire school asking Ruby for help. Ruby. The girl who still had trouble making it to class on time.

Of course, Ruby agreed to help and spent the next few days on Cloud 9 while she tirelessly and meticulously worked on the javelin. Personally, Weiss made several rueful comments suggesting that if Ruby applied this much attention to her studies, Weiss would no longer receive the highest marks in class. Those were the first days Weiss actually stopped what she was doing and watched her partner work - growing more and more impressed with every painstaking alteration that was made.

When Ruby finished, it was impossible to tell that _any_ changes had been made just by looking at the weapon. It wasn't until the very next day, when Pyrrha destroyed the entirety of Team CRDL in record time, that the impact of the modifications came to light. Suddenly, people were lining up at their door asking Ruby to upgrade their weapons too.

Being the bossy person that she'd been, that was the moment when Weiss stepped in and demanded that Ruby look at Myrtenaster before anyone else's weapon. She was Ruby's partner, after all. Didn't that grant her front of line privileges?

That's when she watched Ruby work on her weapon for the very first time, and that's when she saw the utmost care Ruby used merely touching it.

Her entire life, Weiss thought of Myrtenaster as a tool more than anything else. Sure, she was fond of it, but thought that that fondness grew out of familiarity rather than emotional attachment. But to Ruby...well, Ruby treated the rapier as a living, breathing being. Weiss had actually caught Ruby whispering to it while she worked for hours on end to ensure it was absolutely, breathtakingly perfect.

And it was. It was lighter, the mixer stopped jamming, and that odd click when she used red Dust had finally been found and silenced.

Those were the first of many improvements Ruby made for Weiss. Then Ruby blazed through the rest of their class - fixing quirks, solving problems, and adding functionality beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Weiss had whined that if Ruby kept upgrading the other team's weapons, they would be in danger of losing their place at the top of the class - to which Ruby cheerfully replied that then they'd all be that much better at fighting Grimm.

It was one of the many instances where Ruby effortlessly reminded Weiss that the greater good came before her own prestige and success. Being around Ruby, Weiss had slowly grown to realize how focused she was on herself - on being the best, the brightest, the fastest. Beacon wasn't about helping others - it was about helping herself, providing her a platform on which to prove she was worthy of her family name.

But then she spent every waking second with someone who would become the best and was, very literally, the fastest. The prodigy. The youngest trainee in Beacon's fabled history. And Ruby only ever thought about everyone else - how they could all improve, together. How they could make the world a better place, together.

Ruby never thought of Weiss as petty, even though she was.

"You can't let her go back out there," Weiss pleaded with Yang, feeling a wave of desperation wash over her. Ruby couldn't fight again. She couldn't be hurt again. There was no way Weiss could survive another heartbreak. "You can't risk her life again."

"She'll be just fine," Blake assured her.

"You can't know that!" she argued. "You know there's no way to guarantee anyone's safety out there!"

Shaking her head, Yang's expression was set with a frown.

"You gave up the right to have a say in her life when you left."

An old, familiar feeling was clawing inside of Weiss - that refusal to give up, that desperate need to survive by any means necessary. She _couldn't_ allow this to happen. Ruby's life could very well depend on it. Ruby's spark was too _good_ and too pure and too magical to be wasted because of some childhood dream. Someone needed to protect her, even if that meant from herself.

"I won't let you go," Weiss said flatly as resolve built in her chest. The reply only made Yang scoff in amusement.

"And how are you going to stop us? Sorry to point it out, Weiss, but you kinda have no say in this."

"Yes I _do_ have a say," she whispered forcibly in return, leaning forward so that Yang could hear her. "She's _my_ -"

The word on the tip of her tongue remained there as she froze mid-sentence. It was too late though - Yang's eyes were already narrowed and filling with clouds.

"She's your what, Weiss?" Yang repeated, daring Weiss to finish that sentence.

Cracks were appearing in the resolve she'd managed to build up, threatening to undermine her determination. Besides Ruby's name, there was one word she hadn't allowed herself to use since that fateful night...and she couldn't believe she'd been about to say it out loud.

Keeping her mouth firmly shut, she shook her head. The action only seemed to prove something that Yang had expected.

"Until I see that ring back on her finger, she's _nothing_ more than a friend to you," Yang hissed back, jabbing a finger in the direction of the garage, as if Weiss needed to know who she was referring to.

Setting her jaw stubbornly and tilting her chin up, Weiss refused to nod her head at that statement. Ruby was _not_ just her friend. Ruby was her everything. Even if Ruby didn't remember, Weiss did. She remembered everything - and those were memories that couldn't be taken away from her.

"Weiss, she's ready," Blake added softly, setting one hand on Yang's shoulder in an effort to diffuse her anger. "She can sense me. She can't explain it, but she never could, could she? Somehow she knows where I am when she shouldn't and reacts to it."

The knowledge made Weiss pause, but she was still frowning. If Ruby could sense Blake, that implied that her incredible instincts remained intact. But instinct would only take someone so far.

How could Weiss make them see that Ruby wasn't ready? How could she make them understand that being able to fight in the confines of a yard was nowhere near the same as in the middle of a forest, with help always a few minutes too far away?

"I want to spar her," she said, trying to sound resolute even though she knew she had very little in terms of bargaining power. "I want to see for myself."

The request immediately perked Yang's interest - cheered her up, even.

"That sounds fun."

" _And_ -" Weiss added emphatically. "If I can beat her - you'll delay this ill-advised adventure of yours."

" _Sure_ ," Yang said with a shake of her head that clearly said she wasn't expecting to have to hold up her end of the bargain. "If you beat her, then maybe she has some more learning to do. But if she wins, you back off."

As the two of them locked eyes, Weiss could feel the tension rising again. But when Weiss nodded in agreement, Yang broke into a disconcerting grin that diffused the moment.

At least Weiss had gotten what she wanted. Well, not exactly. What she wanted was for no one to ever consider taking Ruby near a Grimm for the rest of their natural lives. Since that seemed to be off the table at the moment, at least she had a chance to delay this hunt. If she could beat Ruby, it would force Yang to reconsider.

A breeze blew into the kitchen and, as soon as Ruby slowed to a manageable speed, Yang caught her by one arm and wrapped her up in a giant hug. While Yang rustled her little sister's brunette hair all over the place, Ruby wiggled around and whined, "Yanggg!"

"We were talking about you!" Yang said when finally releasing Ruby. "How you can throw down with the best of us," Yang elaborated, throwing what looked like a very real jab towards Ruby's cheek. A blink and Ruby ducked the blow and threw two of her own into Yang's side. Yang hardly flinched at the contact, instead laughing in that pleased way she had.

"Hey, what do you think about sparring Weiss?"

"Are you serious?" Ruby practically squealed, turning towards Weiss with big silver eyes.

"Yeah, I think you can teach her a thing or two," Yang added, sending a smirk Weiss' way.

"I'd love to!"

"Maybe not tonight, but you can still look at Myrtenaster," Weiss quickly added. Having only come over here expecting to invite her teammates to the Dust facility, she didn't think she was mentally or physically prepared to fight Ruby at this moment. Maybe not ever, but certainly not right now.

"Myrtenaster…" Ruby repeated, causing Weiss' breath catch in her throat in alarm. "Oh, I'll go make some room on the bench! And then you can call your locker, yeah?"

Quietly breathing a sigh of relief, Weiss nodded her agreement before watching Ruby buzz happily out of the room.

"What kind of hunt is it?" she whispered before Ruby had even disappeared.

"We found a private contract that only needs two," Blake explained just as quietly. "Not too deep in the forest, so there shouldn't be anything too crazy around."

"Basic retrieval," Yang added nonchalantly. "In through the roof, out through the roof - the whole thing is done in ten minutes. Blake and I could do it in our sleep - having Ruby around will only make it easier."

"We probably won't even see a Grimm, but at least Ruby will feel like she's doing something," Blake concluded, giving Weiss a sympathetic smile.

"Weiss, I'm ready! Let's call in Myrtenaster!" Ruby called out before racing through the room towards the backyard, oblivious to anything they were talking about. Sighing, Weiss moved to follow Ruby outside, pulling out her scroll so that she could summon her locker to their location.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she whispered while leaving the two girls behind.

They'd already gotten Ruby's hopes up - if they said she couldn't go now, she would be crushed. She'd spent so much time rehabilitating from her injuries...which Weiss couldn't even begin to fathom the difficulty of undertaking. She'd created a masterpiece to bridge the gap from where her recovery left off to being full strength once again. It didn't take much for Weiss to understand that Ruby had poured her heart and soul into reaching this goal of hers.

But if Yang let Ruby go back into the forest…

That just couldn't happen. As much as Weiss loved Ruby and loved to see her happy, she loved Ruby _too_ much to put her in that type of danger again. Weiss knew that Ruby had dreamed of becoming a huntress ever since she was a little girl. She wanted to follow in her mom's footsteps. She wanted to help people. She wanted to save the world.

But Ruby had _already achieved_ that dream. Ruby had already been a huntress. She'd saved countless lives. She'd saved the world and then saved it again. She'd achieved everything she'd dreamed of...and she'd nearly died as a result.

There was no way Weiss could stand by and watch her partner chase that same dream over again. Not when she'd seen how it ended the first time. So Ruby was either not going to go...or Weiss was going to be glued to her side the entire time.

But first - Myrtenaster.


	14. Chapter 14

**You know what the hardest part of this story might be? Coming up with something to say in the author note! Well that and writing the rest of it...**

 **I might sound like a broken record, but thank you everyone for the reviews. I've really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the story and your theories on what happened and what will happen next. I just wish I could give you all the answers now! But, at the end, feel free to reach out to me and we can discuss :)**

* * *

Ruby was excited. _Excited_. It wasn't every day that she got to check out a new weapon! Not just any weapon either - a _huntress'_ weapon. Not just any huntress either! It was _Weiss'_ weapon!

A few minutes ago Ruby hadn't even known that Weiss _was_ a huntress. But why would she when she'd never asked? Which was dumb. Why hadn't she asked? Note to self, that should be one of the first questions she asked a new potential friend. 'Hi, nice to meet you. Would you happen to be a huntress or a huntsmen with a super cool weapon I could take a look at?'

Yeah, that would totally work _and_ keep this type of life-altering, unexpected reveal from happening again. Although she was kind of a fan of surprises…but at least now she knew for sure how Weiss and Yang knew each other! They must've been in some of the same classes at Signal.

It was kinda funny though...Weiss didn't give off a 'huntress' vibe. If Yang, Blake, and Weiss stood in a line and Ruby guessed their occupations, she'd say: huntress, ninja, princess. Not huntress, huntress, huntress. Weiss was just so refined and proper! Could anyone really imagine her fighting a full grown Ursa that was about a hundred million times her size?

Yes, Ruby could imagine that and _it was_ _awesome_. Pretty _and_ able to kill Grimm? She didn't even know girls like that existed!

...but don't tell Yang that.

"Alright…" Weiss muttered as they both stood in the middle of the backyard. "On its way."

"Awesome," Ruby replied as casually as possible, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

 _Be cool - be cool_ , she reminded herself while struggling to stand motionlessly by Weiss' side, trying to mimic Weiss' ultra-perfect posture. A part of her didn't want Weiss to see what a huge weapons geek she was, but anticipation couldn't even _begin_ to describe her current emotional state. Her current level of jitters was somewhere between five and ten chocolate cakes - the big ones with _three_ layers, none of that double layer nonsense.

Sure, she was a big nerd, but most people didn't understand just how fascinating a huntsman's weapon could be. They were all different. They were all unique. And because of how long and often they were trained with, each one told a story about the person who used them.

Like Ember Celica...the gauntlets were very clearly Yang's. They were flashy, loud, and constantly marred with cuts and grooves from getting way too close to the action - the result of Yang's more brash and thrill-seeking fighting style. And Gambol Shroud...well, Ruby didn't have much information about Gambol because Blake wouldn't let her take the weapon apart - which only added to the mystery that was Blake in general. Very few people, if any, would ever know what went on in Blake's mind. That and the blade was black. Blake liked to wear black. Coincidence?

But Weiss' weapon...Ruby had _no idea_ what to expect. Would Weiss be like Blake - hesitant to let Ruby examine or even touch it? Or would Weiss be more like Yang - willing to let Ruby take it apart and poke around? It wasn't like she couldn't put it back together again! Because she totally could. Most likely.

And, besides being ultra-dangerous and ultra-personal, there was a slight chance that the weapon might have some secrets to tell about Weiss. What mysteries would Mr. Myrtenaster solve? Ruby couldn't wait to find out!

A small squeal of delight escaped her as a weapon locker fell from the sky and lodged itself in the middle of the yard with a loud 'thunk' announcing its arrival. Racing over the second it appeared, she screeched to a stop with one hand already reaching out to open the locker door.

 _Manners!_ she silently scolded herself. This wasn't one of her sister's things. She shouldn't touch someone else's weapon without permission. Unless she wanted to make them upset - which she didn't.

Turning back to Weiss, Ruby received the smile and nod of approval she'd been hoping for. This time she didn't hesitate to pull open the locker and look inside.

The mere sight of the shimmering sword resting in the latches made her heart pound in her ears. Like _really_ pound. Reaching in, she delicately removed Myrtenaster from the clasps, with goosebumps rising on her arms the instant she felt cool metal underneath her fingertips.

It must be the evening air and her short-sleeved shirt, but as she held the weapon up a weirdly-pleasant shiver ran through her bones. The late afternoon sun cut through the clouds just enough to make the silver sparkle majestically in her hands - the same exact shade as the ring hanging around her neck.

It was...gorgeous. But that wasn't surprising since Weiss was super beautiful...

Ruby's cheeks flushed at the thought while she held the weapon in her hands and continued to marvel at it. She's never seen such a pretty weapon. Like...exquisitely pretty in a very girly way. Because it was a girl - definitely a girl.

And it was perfect, so it obviously belonged to Weiss.

"Excuse me, _Miss_ Myrtenaster," Ruby whispered to the blade in apology, before turning around to find Weiss watching intently. "It's...incredible…"

Ruby held the weapon with her fingertips like she shouldn't actually be allowed to touch it, but what she really wanted to do was grasp the handle and whip it through the air. Slowly turning the weapon over in her hands, she glanced at Weiss to make sure she wasn't overstepping any bounds. Thankfully, Weiss seemed perfectly fine with what Ruby was doing.

"Why don't you try it out?" Weiss even suggested, nodding her head in encouragement when Ruby looked at her for confirmation.

Because that's exactly what Ruby wanted to do! Trying different types of weapons was always a thrill. Maybe she'd find one she liked better than Crescent Rose!

That would never, ever, _ever_ happen. Never. But she could have a _second favorite_ weapon.

Slipping her hand around the grip, which was far more comfortable than it looked, she curled her fingers into a fist and let Myrtenaster fall to her side. First - wow, the weight. Compared to Crescent Rose it was like holding a feather.

"So light!" she exclaimed gleefully, holding the weapon upright and poking it a few times through the air like she'd seen fencers do on TV when she was a kid. It was the lightest weapon she'd ever held - like some fluffy clouds held together with a layer of silver paint - but its lack of weight didn't make it feel at all brittle. It wasn't brittle at all - it actually felt quite sturdy. There was a certain stiffness to it that let out a satisfying snap if swished through the air just right.

After waving Myrtenaster around for a few minutes, it began to feel more comfortable in her grasp. It was weird to use a weapon that had such a single direction. Because Crescent Rose was all curved and swoopy, Ruby was able to attack using many different angles. Myrtenaster was direct and straightforward.

Probably the only weapon vaguely similar that Ruby had tried before was Gambol Shroud, but Gambol felt like fighting with a live worm or something. It was such a weird weapon...and maybe that was why Blake was so possessive of it. Although why anyone would be possessive of a worm, Ruby had no idea...

But Myrtenaster...Myrtenaster seemed like it would be far easier to learn how to wield. There was something about the motions of the weapon that felt...right. Like how Ruby had known hand-to-hand combat wouldn't come easily to her, she knew that Myrtenaster would.

After twirling the weapon around for a little longer, drawing her name in quick air letters, she dropped her arm to her side and giggled.

"I feel like a princess," she admitted, the comment making Weiss smile.

"A very pretty one at that."

The compliment made Ruby blush while Weiss immediately looked towards the house.

"Anyway, you wanted to look at it in the garage?"

"Oh yeah! That's where my tools are!" Ruby called out, shaking her head to get rid of the heat in her cheeks. It wasn't often that she was called pretty - or ever, really. Besides from Yang, but Ruby was pretty sure that her sister just loved to boost people's egos. Probably in an attempt to get someone else's to match her own.

Hopefully Yang hadn't just heard Ruby think that. It totally wasn't true! Yang only had a _pretend_ huge ego! She was actually the _most modest_ person in the _entire_ world!

Glancing towards the back door, expecting Yang to come barrelling outside at any second, Ruby was pleasantly surprised when a few seconds passed and nothing happened. Nothing except Weiss staring at her expectantly, of course.

"Right! The garage!" she repeated. When she offered Myrtenaster to Weiss, Weiss waved Ruby off and let her carry the weapon instead.

Which was interesting. What Ruby had learned so far was that Myrtenaster was gorgeous, super light, and that Weiss seemed to have no difficulty parting with it. From what Ruby knew about the bond between a huntress and their weapon, it was unusual for a huntress to be so willing to entrust it to someone else. There were stories out there about huntsmen who were _very_ protective of their weapons - like they'd go berserk if someone stole it and go on some crazy killing spree to get it back. Just look at Blake and Gambol! Not that Blake would go on a crazy killing spree, but...well, you never know sometimes.

For whatever reason, Weiss didn't seem to fall into those molds - there seemed to be no lack of trust or psychotic tendencies in sight. Not that Ruby would've minded! The lack of trust part, not the...other one. But they hadn't known each other for _that_ long, so it would be reasonable if Weiss didn't completely trust Ruby yet.

But this was way better! Now she could pour over Myrtenaster without feeling like she was invading Weiss' privacy, _and_ knew that Weiss sorta, kinda, maybe trusted her! And, again, there were those potential secrets...Ruby really wanted to know those. She'd be happy with just one! Because right now Weiss was still a big mystery. One itty, bitty little secret would probably tell Ruby boatloads!

Heading into the house, they were walking into the living room just as Yang stood up from the dining room table.

"Hold up," Yang instructed them, walking over while holding her scroll in one hand.

"I didn't mean it!" Ruby immediately blurted out, drawing Yang's eyes away from her scroll in surprise.

"What?"

"What?" Ruby asked. Realizing her mistake, she turned to Weiss - who was giving her a curious expression - before looking back at Yang. "Uh, I mean, hey! What do you need?"

The sequence of events had clearly confused Yang, but she shrugged it off and started tapping on the screen of her scroll instead.

"Let me show you somethin' real quick," she said before holding out the device so Ruby and Weiss could read it.

At the top of the screen was a bolded title, 'Medical Information Recovery,' with lines directly below that listing a location, date, and a status of 'accepted.' Underneath the information there were three names of the huntsmen who had accepted the mission. Dropping Myrtenaster to her side in one hand, Ruby grinned and took the scroll from Yang in the other. Pulling the device closer to her eyes, she read the names closely.

Blake Belladonna.

Yang Xiao Long.

And below that…

" _Roby_ Rose?" she whined. "Yang!"

"What?" Yang asked in confusion, taking the scroll and reading it before laughing. "Oh...whoops! Well, we can't really change that now…"

When Ruby's brow knit together in a pout, Yang immediately dropped the joke.

"I'm kidding! I can totally fix it! I have to add Weiss anyway."

Happy with that response, Ruby grinned again. That was her name on there! Kind of. Not quite yet, but it would be! She was _official_.

"Thank you!"

"No problem, _Roby_ ," Yang smirked while walking away. Pretending to be annoyed, Ruby held up Myrtenaster and turned the weapon over in her hand.

"Does this thing have a stun mode or something?" she joked, playfully aiming it at her sister's back.

"Sure," Weiss replied, leaning towards her. "It's right…"

The instant Weiss touched the weapon, a small stream of light blue shot out of Myrtenaster and hit Yang squarely in the back. The ice did nothing more than make Yang to flinch in surprise, before she slowly spun around and pointed one finger at Ruby. Glancing down at the weapon still grasped in her hand, directed at her sister, she gave Yang what she _hoped_ would be an apologetic smile.

Dang. Caught red-handed.

Yang narrowed her eyes at the two of them before shaking her head and walking into her room. As soon as she was gone, Ruby's jaw dropped in surprise.

"I can't believe you just did that!" she gasped.

The expression Weiss gave her in return was one of utmost innocence, but Ruby could see right through it. There was the _slightest_ quirk in Weiss' lip that suggested a smile was being held at bay.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Weiss replied. She was _so good_ at this. Her tone was practically _bored_ by the conversation. If Ruby hadn't known any better, she'd totally fall for it. But she did know better!

Narrowing her own eyes, she redirected the weapon towards Weiss - who merely looked down at it curiously.

"I'm watching you," Ruby teased. Her words broke through Weiss' unflappable exterior and succeeded in making her look quite amused.

"Be careful where you point that," Weiss replied with a smirk, touching one finger to the tip of the blade. A burst of cold sparks suddenly flew into Ruby's face and she jumped backwards with a yelp of surprise. Swiping at her face, the flakes of ice had already melted into cold water that she wiped from her brow. As she did so, a sound caught her attention and froze her faster than ten feet of ice would.

Weiss was laughing.

For the briefest second, the girl standing in front of Ruby was completely different from the one who'd walked into their house for dinner all those nights ago. It was incredible - like Weiss had just been replaced by a cloned version of herself. Only the clone had lived a much happier life and was more willing to laugh, tease, and have fun.

The sight made Ruby grin while her heart did this strange little ba-dump in her chest.

 _This_ Weiss. This was the real one.

But before Ruby could grasp onto that copy of Weiss, she'd already slipped away - back into her shell, or behind her walls, or wherever it was she was hiding. The composed mask slid back into place while icy blue eyes watched Ruby intently - only a hint of that smile remaining.

The moment had been short-lived, but that was ok. Now Ruby knew there was a happy Weiss in there _somewhere_ just waiting to be brought out. Maybe if they became better friends, Ruby would get to see that other version of Weiss more often. That was going to be her new goal.

"To the garage?" Weiss asked after a few too many seconds of silence, waving one hand towards the door.

"To the garage!" Ruby exclaimed, before heading through the living room and hopping through the doorway. The lights clicked on automatically when they walked inside, where it was still just as messy as it had been when Ruby showed Weiss the failing-to-recall dagger. Except now there was a large empty stretch of the workbench waiting for them. All of the junk that had been sitting in that space was now piled at the edge of the bench in a big mess that would be fun to sort out later.

Maybe Ruby should build some sort of shop cleaning robot. Naw. That'd make Yang too happy! What Ruby should _really_ build is a shoe organizing robot. Or a shoe _eating_ robot! That'd be much more fun. It would gobble up any shoe it came across while prowling around the house. Except...she'd have to make sure it wouldn't try to eat someone's shoe _while_ they were wearing it. That'd be kinda bad…

"So, you're a huntress!" Ruby proclaimed, heading over to the workbench with Weiss following close behind.

"I suppose I am."

Opening a nearby cupboard and pulling out two small weapon stands that were stacked inside, Ruby giggled at the reply before gasping.

"Oh! Does that mean you have cool stories from out in the forest?"

While Ruby was hopeful that she did, Weiss looked taken aback by the question.

"Oh. I, well…"

"Yang has _tons_ of cool stories," Ruby added, thinking she might've just put Weiss on the spot a little bit. "Giant Grimm, blowing up caves, jumping off waterfalls...if you think of any, I'd love to hear them!"

Weiss finally smiled and gave Ruby a slight nod. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby turned her attention to the pieces of metal in her hand and placed the stands an appropriate distance apart on the workbench. They held Myrtenaster perfectly when she placed the weapon upon them.

"Just right," she commented to herself, dusting off her hands and glancing over at Weiss. This entire time Weiss had watched Ruby closely, but didn't seem at all concerned about what Ruby was doing with the weapon. She could probably steal it and Weiss wouldn't bat an eye. Not that Ruby would ever do that, but it was nice to have options!

"Yang really tells you her stories?" Weiss asked.

"Yup! She exaggerates, but if you cut everything in half it should be true. Like if she says there were one billion Grimm, it was probably more like five hundred million." Grinning at the joke, Ruby was pleasantly surprised when Weiss gave a soft chuckle and shook her head.

Once the joyful sound disappeared, Ruby glanced at Myrtenaster before realizing that she needed some more light. Reaching across the length of the bench, and accidentally making Weiss step back in surprise, Ruby switched the light onto a brighter setting before giving Weiss an apologetic smile.

"It's easier to see," Ruby explained while gesturing to the lamp.

"It is," was all Weiss said as she stepped back up to the bench, looking a little embarrassed at what she'd just done. After waiting a few more seconds and getting nothing more, Ruby turned her full attention to the task at hand - examining Myrtenaster.

First, she analyzed the weapon from tip to tail using just her eyes - the eyeball test, as Yang called it. Actually, that's what Yang had called out while chucking a fake eyeball at Ruby's face to see if she could react quickly enough to catch it. She _had_ caught it, and then repurposed the name because it was cool. The fake eyeball was still around here somewhere...maybe it was time she dug that out to see if _Yang_ could pass the eyeball test.

But Myrtenaster! Myrtenaster looked like it was made of a super high grade alloy metal and had been forged as a single piece. The etchings covering the blade and hilt were flawless and glinted under the light. The design was extremely intricate and probably had some special meaning, but it was difficult to determine what that meaning might be without any contextual clues.

Everything about the weapon was exquisite - so exquisite that she actually felt like she shouldn't touch it. This was like...a _high class_ lady weapon...and Ruby really, really wanted to lift up her skirt.

Oh Grimm...Yang was really ruining Ruby's mind…

Hesitantly turning to the side, Ruby tapped her fingers together while capturing Weiss' attention.

"You don't mind if I, you know, fiddle with it a little bit?" she asked while gesturing towards the bench.

"Of course not. I trust you."

An unbelievable warmth filled Ruby's chest as she turned her eyes back to Myrtenaster. Sneaking one more look at Weiss, Ruby grinned before letting go of her reservations and examining the weapon like she really wanted to. When she got up close and personal, pouring over every bit of silver, little observations began to jump out at her.

"Now I could've told you you're a lefty!" she remarked, pointing to a nearly unnoticeable wear mark where the holder's thumb would rest. The mark was slanting in the opposite direction of how it would if it were being held in someone's right hand.

Something else immediately caught Ruby's eye. Shifting position, she focused on a tiny, nearly invisible seam that hid a past modification.

"Did someone modify the revolver?" she asked, nearly pressing her nose to the weapon in an effort to see better.

"Yes," Weiss replied from above her. "I've never had a problem with a jam since. Made it easier to clean too."

"They did a really good job!" Ruby remarked while analyzing the minute welding and stitching that had been done. It was some pretty top notch craftsmanship.

After her eyes scanned the entire weapon three times, Ruby started over again with her hands. Running her fingers slowly and carefully across the blade, she searched for modifications that might be invisible to the naked eye. That's how the best weapons worked - they _looked_ simple, but hidden inside simplicity were an abundance of upgrades. Those were the weapons that Ruby liked best. She thought they added a nice element of surprise to any battle. Here's a dagger, but gotcha! It's also a rocket launcher!

Not that a rocket launcher could be hidden inside a dagger, but something like that. Although...maybe if there were smaller rockets...

After a few more seconds of searching, her fingertips found a seam in the hilt. It was concealed so well that she almost missed it the first time and had to double-check the area. Running her index finger in tiny up-down motions across the location, she could just barely feel the miniscule line where metal had been fused back together. Lifting the weapon closer to her face and waiting impatiently for her eyes to focus on the area, she let out a gasp of surprise.

"You have a Dust mixer in here!" she exclaimed, gaping at Weiss while she smiled back. "Those things cost a fortune!"

"Worth every penny."

"I didn't even know they made them this small..." Ruby mused, tapping and prodding at the seam. It could only be an inch at the most in order to fit into the space...

"They don't. It was specifically retrofitted to Myrtenaster," Weiss explained.

Openly gawking at the explanation, Ruby finally got a grip of herself and shook her head in disbelief. It was incredible to think of what could be possible if not for the constraints of money. Weiss' weapon was clearly the best of the best of the best - worth more than Ruby could dream of making in a lifetime. Well, she _could_ dream of making that much, but it wouldn't be very realistic.

"It's well done, isn't it?" Weiss asked with a proud smile.

"Are you kidding me? This is more than well done - this is a freaking masterpiece is what it is! Like, it should be in a museum of weaponry."

Crescent Rose had a few expensive upgrades too, but as Ruby understood it most of the expensive parts were birthday gifts she'd collected over the last few years. The underlying components were still awesome, of course, but...basically, Myrtenaster was the type of impressive that fit Weiss' family - from the base metal all the way through to the polish still gleaming on the handle.

Looking for anything she'd missed, Ruby practically put her nose to metal examining the weapon. Sometimes she wished she was a tiny little ant, so that she could walk along the weapons and see every nook and cranny like it was larger than life. Instead, she was forced to rely on her weak human eyes to do the work for her.

"Who did this stuff for you?" she asked after finding another minor upgrade to the weighting of the blade. "It's incredible. And it looks like they spent a ton of time making sure it was perfect."

"There...was a girl here in Vale who used to do it for me."

"What's her name? Does she still work here?" Ruby asked, excitement instantly bubbling in her chest. She wanted to meet the person who'd done all this. And maybe ask for a job. Or beg for one. They didn't even have to pay her! Just let her learn their expert ways and maybe let her walk away with a new weapon or five.

"Oh, well...she retired actually. Just over a year ago."

The reply was disappointing, but made Ruby chuckle at the thought of a little old lady working on this incredibly high-powered and sophisticated weapon.

"Was she old? She must've had superhuman eyesight to make welds this small!" she joked, holding up the blade for Weiss to see one of the spots that had been welded back together. As Ruby did so, the light in the garage hit another patch of welding and glinted back at her in a way that drew her attention. It didn't _glint_ properly...which wouldn't make a whole lot of sense unless it was caught by someone like her, who spent a lot of time looking at glinting things.

Lifting Myrtenaster up until it was nearly touching her eyeball, Ruby couldn't see anything out of place. Furrowing her brow, she set the weapon down and tapped her fingers against the bench while searching for a solution.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I totally forgot!"

Scooting past Weiss and heading to a tall cabinet on the other side of the garage, Ruby opened just about every drawer before she found what she was looking for. A magnifying glass! How had she forgotten she had this?

Rushing back to Myrtenaster, Ruby held the magnifying glass above the weapon.

"What are you looking at?" Weiss asked curiously.

"I think there's something written here…" Ruby murmured, moving the magnifying glass closer and further way to bring the letters into focus.

And she was right. Etched into a weld, impossibly small and in no way legible without magnification, where the words -

"'Believe in yourself.'"

Huh...well, that was nice and motivational, but she'd really been hoping for some secret codes or passwords or something...

"What?" Weiss yelped in surprise before moving closer. "Can I see that?"

Using one finger to point out where she'd been looking, Ruby held the magnifying glass steady while Weiss looked through it. A strand of white hair fell across Weiss' shoulder as she leaned over the bench and Ruby resisted the urge to reach out and tuck it back in place. But she took the opportunity to look at Weiss closely - marveling at her cute eyelashes and pristine white skin.

Weiss was _pretty_ , but in this strange way that made Ruby feel a little breathless sometimes. Weiss was also pretty in the way that models and actresses were, but there was something else about her...

When Weiss straightened, Ruby quickly diverted her gaze back to Weiss' eyes - finding that she was at a loss for what to say.

"Ruby…" she whispered, looking at Ruby as if seeing someone else entirely. There was something different in Weiss' expression - something that made Ruby hold that blue gaze and absorb the feeling, afraid to look away.

It was Weiss who finally broke eye contact when she turned back to her weapon, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I had no idea that was there..." she murmured, picking up the rapier and staring at it without the magnifying glass as if she should be able to see something.

"They made it so small - there's no way you could've seen it without knowing it was there!" Ruby explained, trying to cheer Weiss' mood suddenly dampened mood back up.

"But how did I not know?"

The question was so disheartened and Weiss' tone was so sad that Ruby actually frowned. Something was wrong - she could see it in the way Weiss was standing so still, her chest rising and falling with short sniffs of breath while her eyes blinked rapidly. It looked like...she was trying to keep herself from crying.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, gently tapping Weiss's shoulder with one hand. Even though Ruby hardly brushed her, Weiss jumped away as if Ruby had just given her a giant shove.

"Yes, I'm…" Weiss immediately began to say before trailing off, spinning Myrtenaster absentmindedly in her hands with a confident familiarity that came with holding one's own weapon. "I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?" Ruby pressed, taking a step closer. A part of her really wanted to reach out and console Weiss, but another part of her was unsure if Weiss would accept the attempt at comfort. Ruby wanted to hug Weiss though, she really did. Hugs made everything better.

"I mean, you can talk to me, you know? I can try to help!"

Weiss glanced at Ruby only briefly before shaking her head almost imperceptibly - the tiny motion enough to make Ruby feel a little disappointed. When someone was sad it was normal to want to help make them feel better, which was what Ruby wanted to do. The last thing she wanted was for Weiss to cry over _anything_. She wanted Weiss to trust her enough to talk about what was wrong, but she wasn't going to pry...

"Well if you ever want to talk, I want to listen!" she offered as cheerfully as possible. "I know a thing or two about scars - mostly physical ones, but yeah…"

As Ruby's voice trailed off, Weiss finally made eye contact - her own eyes still shimmering with a hint of tears being held at bay. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close and open it again before turning away completely.

"Have you...have you ever had a memory that feels so vivid, it could be real?"

While Weiss stared at her weapon, Ruby thought about the question carefully. Her relationship with memories was shaky, at best. Once upon she'd wished for some of them to come back, kind of like what Weiss was talking about, but that had never happened. So Ruby gave up and moved on without them.

"I've had dreams like that!" she answered. "They seem real when I'm having them, but then I wake up and forget."

"Yes...something like that. Only instead of dreaming, you're awake." When Weiss shook her head as if trying to clear the thoughts away, Ruby edged a little closer - close enough that their shoulders were just barely touching. Weiss always seemed like she was in control, but right now she looked so fragile Ruby was afraid that if she moved too quickly Weiss might break into pieces.

"Are they good memories or bad memories?"

"Both. The good memories are painful to relive and the bad ones are...bad. I just…" Weiss still wouldn't look at Ruby, but raised one hand before letting it fall to her side in defeat. "Everyone says to move on...but how do you let go of the past when it's always right there trying to confuse you? How do you know what's real and what's fake…?"

It felt like Weiss was speaking more to herself than to Ruby, but Ruby was still trying to understand as best she could. It didn't really explain much about anything that was going on, but this was the first time Weiss had seemed so uncertain - like she could actually use Ruby's help in answering those questions.

Trying to come up with a solution, Ruby was quiet for a long time - a lot longer than she was normally capable of. Because she was really terrible at being quiet. It was literally the thing she was worst at. That and being slow. But Weiss needed help and Ruby was determined to help, even if that meant she needed to be quiet for a little bit.

Weiss wanted to keep the past away and know what was real. Well, the first part was a little hard to do, but maybe Ruby could help with the second part. It was easy to tell what was real or not! Weiss was real. Ruby was real. Myrtenaster, the garage, the house, the street - all real.

Hesitantly, Ruby reached out towards Weiss before stopping herself. It was a stupid idea, but...sometimes those were the best ideas, weren't they?

Reaching out, Ruby grabbed ahold of Weiss' hand, immediately getting Weiss' full attention.

"Can you feel my hand?" Ruby asked. Weiss stared down at their joined hands for a second before looking up.

"Y-yes."

"And that's real, right?"

The question made Weiss' brow furrow.

"I hope so."

Ruby shook Weiss' hand lightly at the response.

"It is!" she replied with a giggle. " _I'm_ real, Weiss. We're real. And you can feel it - I know you can!"

So many emotions were flashing through Weiss' eyes, Ruby had no idea if Weiss was happy, sad, upset, or maybe just thirsty. But Ruby had an idea, and she hoped it was something that could help.

"How about...whenever you feel sad or don't know what's real or not, you can grab my hand and then you'll know that you're _not_ just reliving something."

"But why -"

"I can keep you here!" Ruby said, excited at the possibility of being helpful before her eyes widened at how the phrase sounded. "I mean, not in a creepy kinda way, but like...keep you grounded, ya know?"

The fact that Weiss was willing to partially open up about something so personal made Ruby feel extra special. She wanted to repay that trust by being helpful, supportive, and worthy of the vote of confidence. Basically, Ruby wanted to be anything and everything Weiss needed.

Noticing Weiss staring at their hands, Ruby squeezed her hand and Weiss immediately locked eyes with her, making her grin in success.

"See? It works!"

"It...actually does," Weiss replied, appearing genuinely surprised by the revelation.

"You don't have to go through this alone," Ruby said softly, lightly swinging their joined hands back and forth. "I'll help you."

This time it was pain in Weiss' eyes.

"Why would you help me?"

The reaction made Ruby's brow knit together in confusion.

"Because we're friends!" she replied regardless. "That's what friends do."

"Right. Friends," Weiss said, attempting a half-hearted smile before lowering her gaze to the floor.

Before Weiss could say anything more, Ruby dropped her hand and took a step away. A small part of her immediately regretted it because now it felt like her hand was missing something, but there was something she wanted to see.

"Can you do something for me?" she asked hopefully. The question brought Weiss' eyes back to hers.

"Anything."

"Can you hold Myrtenaster like you would for a fight? Pretend I'm a Grimm!" Ruby raised both arms above her head. "Rawrrrrr," she growled, taking one step towards Weiss and grinning when Weiss finally smiled again.

Playing along, Weiss brought Myrtenaster up in front of her while squaring her shoulders to one side and centering herself above her feet. Her left foot was in front, her right foot planted behind. Her arm was relaxed, but firm enough to hold the weapon steadily with minimal effort. Perfect posture, perfect stance - Ruby could definitely see that Weiss was a huntress now.

Walking right up to the tip of Myrtenaster, Ruby stopped when a half inch further would poke a hole in her shirt. Dropping her arms, she smiled at Weiss.

"Can I try something?"

When Weiss nodded, Ruby rubbed her hands together in anticipation. This was something she'd seen Yang and Blake do once or twice and she'd always wanted to try it out for herself. Yang would press her palms flat to each side of Gambol and both girls would close their eyes for a really long time. When Ruby had asked what they were doing, Yang explained that when a huntress was in their fighting stance it was possible to feel their aura running through their weapon. And what did someone else's aura feel like? That's what Ruby was about to find out!

Holding up both hands, she took a deep breath before pressing them carefully together on either side of Myrtenaster. If Ruby or Weiss moved too much her palms would get cut, but she trusted that Weiss would never let that happen. Closing her eyes, Ruby tried to find that mysterious aura. She could feel the cold metal against her skin and her own exhales hitting her hands, but other than that…

When she felt it, she sucked in a breath in surprise. There _was_ something there - a tingle of energy flowing through her palms. Grasping onto the feeling, she felt it worm its way through her arms and straight to her heart, wrapping around it and filling her with a warmth unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Every single one of her cells came to life - dancing and having a little party like it was the first day of summer vacation. And an unmistakable sense of contentedness washed over her, like she'd just found the safest place in the world to be.

It was incredible.

It was hard to say how long she stood perfectly still and savored that soothing feeling, but when she finally opened her eyes she found that Weiss' were still closed. It was only when Ruby released Myrtenaster completely that Weiss' eyelashes fluttered open and icy blue orbs stared back at her. Instantly blushing, Ruby looked away.

Note to self - next time maybe consider that the things Yang and Blake did together were _not_ to be recreated on a whim. That had been...deeply personal. It felt like she'd connected with Weiss on a level stronger than a traditional bond - like she'd allowed Weiss deep in her heart, where she'd always been alone.

Personal, but amazing. Embarrassing, but...she also wanted to do it again. Having that type of connection with another person...it had never occurred to her that that could be something missing from her life.

"So…" she said with a soft cough, running one hand through her hair while the feeling of Weiss' aura quickly drained out of her. "Um...thanks for...humoring me."

"Absolutely. I hope that was...what you were expecting?"

Honestly she'd had no idea what to expect! Part of her always thought Yang was just messing with her and had convinced Blake to play along.

"Better," she answered with a bob of her head. "Way better."

It was probably Ruby's imagination that Weiss blushed before turning away, because when she turned back there was no change in her normal expression.

"I've been looking for a new weaponsmith ever since mine retired," she said. "Would you be willing to take care of Myrtenaster for me?"

"Really?" Ruby practically squeaked at the unexpected request. "But I'm nowhere _near_ as good as she was!"

When Weiss smiled it was one of those true smiles - the ones that made Ruby's heart beat a little faster.

" _I_ believe in _you_ ," Weiss replied with a small grin.

Looking at the weapon still clutched in Weiss' hand and then back to her eyes, Ruby couldn't help but grin in return. Taking care of Myrtenaster meant that she'd get to discover even more of the weapon's secrets, but it also meant that Weiss would come over more often...

"I'd love to!"

The acceptance clearly made Weiss happy, until her eyes drifted above Ruby's head to the clock hanging over the garage door. Following Weiss' gaze, Ruby discovered that it had gotten kinda late without either of them noticing.

"I should probably be going…" Weiss commented quietly. However, she made no motion to leave and Ruby really didn't want her too. They were having a good time! At least Ruby was. She hoped Weiss was too. So what if it was really late? Sleep was for the well-rested!

Which should probably be Weiss since she had work and stuff that she needed to do, unlike Ruby.

"Want me to put Myrtenaster away for you?" Ruby offered. Nodding, Weiss handed the weapon over without a second thought. The instant it touched Ruby's hands she shot into the house, through the hall and out into the yard. Only then did she slow to a crawl and delicately place Weiss' weapon inside the weapon locker - making doubly sure it was seated properly before closing the door and pressing the 'home' button to send it shooting into the air. Ruby watched until it disappeared in the night sky before dashing back to the garage and Weiss' side.

"All done!"

"Thank you," Weiss replied while they walked into the house at a normal speed.

"No problem! Saved you a few steps, ya know?" Swinging her arms happily, Ruby noticed that Yang was sitting on the sofa peering at her scroll, but she didn't even look up when they entered the room.

"Goodnight, Yang," Weiss said politely while walking past, but instead of saying goodnight in return Yang merely huffed and kept working on her scroll.

Not wanting to be rude, Ruby opened the front door and held it open for Weiss to head outside.

"Thanks for coming over!" she said while Weiss stepped out and paused on the front stoop. "I had a really great time."

"I did too. Thank you for...everything."

With another small smile, Weiss turned and hurried down the front path away from Ruby - who watched Weiss' retreat until she was no longer in view. Pushing the door shut, Ruby stared at the blank wood for several seconds in thought.

It seemed like Weiss liked being over here, but then sometimes it seemed like she was in a rush to leave. Maybe it was something Ruby was doing? Maybe she could be more welcoming somehow? Or convince Yang to be.

"What did Weiss do?" Ruby suddenly asked, turning towards her sister. "To make you so mad."

She'd been curious since the day Weiss had walked into their lives, but hadn't wanted to pry too much. After tonight though, after getting a closer glimpse at who Weiss really was, Ruby couldn't keep the curiosity at bay any longer.

Lowering her scroll, Yang thought about the question for a long time before answering.

"You remember what Mom always said?" she began. "That family is more important than anything?"

Ruby nodded, clearly remembering all the times Mom had sat down with Ruby on her lap and Yang by her side.

"We count on each other," she finished and Yang nodded.

"Right. Well, at one time I considered Weiss part of my family, but when it came time to count on her…" After letting the sentence drift off, Yang sighed and shook her head. "Let's just say she chose the other side of Remnant for a reason."

While not exactly the detailed explanation Ruby had been hoping for, it was enough to help her understand why Yang was so upset. Family was supposed to always be there. When you had no one else, you still had your family - through thick or thin, through life or death.

"But you know what Dad would say," Ruby quipped in return, waiting until Yang raised her eyebrows before saying the phrase with a grin. "Better late than never."

Yang clearly hadn't expected the response because she stared for several long seconds before chuckling. Standing up, she walked over and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Maybe you're right, Ruby. Maybe you're right..." she said before leaning down to place a light kiss to the top of Ruby's head. "I sent the hunt information to your scroll - make sure to read it carefully. But don't stay up too late. We've got plenty of time to go over it."

"Mmk!" Ruby agreed before watching her sister trudge off to her room, where Blake was most likely reading. Racing to her own room, Ruby found her scroll and opened the message Yang had forwarded. The screen popped open to the page Yang had shown her earlier, but now Ruby could read every single detail!

Hopping onto the bed, she scooted backwards until her back was against the wall and propped her scroll up on her bent knees - ready to start studying - but her eyes unfocused immediately after the title.

She was glad she asked about Weiss again because now she understood more of where Yang's hostility came from. They'd already had enough people leave them - Yang especially. She'd been forced to grow up too fast, but she still believed - and she still searched for that fairy tale family Mom had told them stories about. But there were only so many times someone could be disappointed by those closest to them before deciding that enough was enough.

Be there for each other, no matter what. Stand up for each other. Be prepared to make sacrifices for each other. Those were the promises they were supposed to keep, and Yang took them very seriously. If Weiss broke one of those promises, Ruby could see why Yang would be so angry. Even though it hadn't exactly been her choice, that's exactly what Mom had done...leaving both of them behind. And that's what Raven had done - not standing by Yang's side.

But there were reasons for everything. Ruby knew that Mom would be here for them, if she could be. And maybe Raven had great reasons to leave. Maybe Weiss also had good reasons to leave, but should that even matter? Weiss was _here_. She was trying to fix things. That alone should count for something.

Shaking her head and refocusing her eyes, Ruby tried to shift her attention back to the words on the screen. A couple weeks ago nothing could've dragged her attention away from a hunt - especially not now that she was actually going on one! But tonight it kind of seemed...less important.

It mattered that Weiss was trying to fix things! That was the first step in accomplishing anything worth doing - first, you have to try. That's how it worked. That's what Yang had told Ruby a million times over the past year. 'Just try, Ruby. Just try.' It was only a three letter word, but sometimes it was the hardest thing in the world to do. Especially when there was so much to be afraid of.

But Weiss didn't need to be afraid. She was trying to fix her mistakes, and Ruby was going to help her succeed. It might take a while, but...Ruby was a pretty patient person! Sometimes.

She could be patient for this. It would be worth it...especially if that other version of Weiss would come back and stay.


	15. Chapter 15

**I feel like a broken record sometimes, but thank you all for reading and reviewing :) I love hearing from all of you!**

 **Also, as a forewarning, this chapter always makes me cry. So...happy reading!**

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The hallways were busy and crowded - filled to the brim with a bustle Weiss had long ago learned to tolerate but still hated all the same. They were built wide and tall, yet somehow seemed cramped on the best of days, and suffocating on the worst.

There was nothing she could do about it though - the additional employees were necessary in getting this plant off the ground. Important deadlines were rapidly approaching and many processes still weren't completely up and running yet.

"What's this?" she asked a man standing next to a cart carrying a stack of filled crystal boxes. She didn't bother waiting for his response before answering her own question, "These are supposed to be on the third manufacturing floor. Take them there now."

There wasn't a single word of argument to be heard as he took the handle of the cart and pushed it towards the elevators as quickly as he could.

"Incompetence…" she muttered to herself before turning into the nearly operational boxing facility.

The massive room held several large pieces of machinery that cost more than most houses to purchase. Feeding into each machine was a towering stack of flattened boxes - not unlike the ones the man on the cart had just taken upstairs - that would be popped into form before riding long conveyor belts to be filled with vials of Dust. From this morning's report, she knew that the room had successfully integrated with the refinery next door, but was suffering from several internal yellow lights which needed to be resolved.

Her eyes scanned the silent machines - monstrosities that cost vast sums of money every day they sat dormant - before searching for someone in charge. Finding a middle-aged woman nearby with a green badge clipped to her shirt and a notebook in her hands, Weiss stalked over.

"What's the status?" she asked, causing the woman to visibly start from the unexpected demand for a progress report.

"Uh, the uh, assembly line is running smoothly, but the boxing machine needs to be recalibrated one more time."

"You're kidding me, right?" Weiss didn't allow the woman time to answer the rhetorical question. "This needs to be working in two hours. Make it happen."

"Yes, Miss Schnee," the supervisor replied, bowing her head before rushing towards her subordinates.

Sighing, Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. It was going to take them three hours to have the machine recalibrated, but at least they wouldn't lose another full day.

"Miss - uh, Miss Schnee?"

Opening her eyes at the sound of her name, she found a younger man in a white polo waving and rushing over to her. Rushing was never a good sign - rushing meant something had gone wrong. Again.

"What is it?" she snapped, irritation growing at the continued issues that shouldn't even be occurring. There were very clear, very detailed step-by-step guides for every single process in this building - how did these employees fail at every possible turn?

"I just need your signature!" he said, holding a clipboard out to her. Snatching it away from him, she flipped it around so she could read the form before approving it. As her eyes skimmed the words on the page, her displeasure grew.

"You lost...an _entire_ shipment of Dust?" Looking up from the authorization in her hands, she stared at the man in utter disbelief.

"Not lost!" he quickly replied, looking more uncomfortable by the second and refusing to meet her eyes. "Temporarily misplaced. It was supposed to come here, but went to Vacuo instead. We just need your signature to approve the additional transport bringing it over here."

It was a monumental error that he was attempting to make sound like a simple mistake with an easy fix. Of course, Weiss knew better than that. She'd grown up in these factories, after all. She knew how much it cost to run the lights in the manufacturing floors for an hour. She knew how much the daily supply of coffee cost. And she _absolutely_ knew how much it cost to reroute a shipment of Dust from across the globe.

Gritting her teeth in now-simmering anger, she swiped the pen out of his hands and quickly signed her name - there was no other option but to acquiesce, they needed that shipment here yesterday. She paused for only a second before carefully placing the date beside her name - curling the '2' and slicing through the '7' before shoving both items back into the man's hands in annoyance. Before she could threaten to fire him, he smartly spun on his heel and raced the way he'd come without ever looking back. Staring after him in irritation, she unclenched her fist and tried to loosen her ever-tightening jaw.

Today was supposed to one of the happiest days of her life. Instead, she was spending it attempting to squeeze a modicum of competence out of _complete and utter incompetence_.

Feeling the ache in her chest, she forced her mind away from the date and back to her ever-expanding list of problems. There were a million different boxes that needed to be checked and she seemed to be the only one doing the checking. But her agitation at her employees' repeated failures was a much better emotion to hang onto than that ache, which she needed to keep her mind as far away from as possible.

A loud grinding suddenly filled the air, followed closely by frenzied shouts of surprise before the sound cut off. Turning towards the source of the noise, she sighed when she saw the thin plumes of smoke rising out of one of the boxing machines.

Someone must have set the calibration incorrectly. That was going to cost them another day to replace the gears that had just been fried by sheer ineptitude.

Shaking her head, she left the boxing facility behind in favor of the busy corridor. Moving out of the way when two large, motorized carts transporting heavy pieces of machinery passed by, she then crossed the hall and walked onto the extraction floor on the other side - where Dust was removed from the rocks it was embedded in.

Upon entering the massive room, she was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the sight and sounds of a manufacturing center in full production. There were employees at several of the terminals running last-minute diagnostics, but she could tell them that everything was working properly without running a single test.

There was a particular sound these machines made when they were working in perfect harmony…a soft hum that had its own unique melody. This was knowledge she'd gained over years of walking through these rooms as a child, so she couldn't fault the new workers for not recognizing it yet. But all of the machinery was performing flawlessly at the moment. When they finished their second and third tests, this would be confirmed and eventually green-lit for operation.

Which meant that something was _finally_ working - and ahead of schedule.

Taking a content breath, she wasn't able to enjoy the meager victory for more than a second before a familiar flash of white drew her full attention. Off to her right, stepping around one of the extractors before giving it a nod of approval, was the very last person Weiss wanted to see on this inauspicious day.

Winter.

Straightening her posture on instinct, Weiss watched Winter make a short comment to the floor supervisor before catching Weiss' gaze and striding purposefully over. There was something about the way Winter walked that exuded authority. Maybe it was her hands clasped behind her back, or the rigid posture, or the tightened bun...regardless, nearby employees skirted out of the way without her ever having to alter her path.

"Weiss," Winter said after she'd stopped a polite distance away, dipping her head in greeting.

"Winter," Weiss replied in kind - their ultra-formal greeting nearly a ritual by now. Only after the formality was completed did Winter unfurl a warm smile.

"How are you doing?"

The question was soft and caring, but Weiss didn't feel like answering the true intention behind it at the moment.

"Everything is progressing as to be expected. Specs are up-to-date and production is running...moderately smoothly." She gestured towards the assembly line while she spoke, and Winter's gaze briefly followed the path of her hand before returning to her.

"That's great to hear, but not what I was asking."

Pursing her lips, Weiss remained stubbornly silent. She knew exactly what Winter was referring to, but that wasn't a subject she wanted to broach right now - or ever.

Winter waited patiently for a reply that wasn't going to come before finally turning and gesturing with her head for Weiss to follow. With no other option but to oblige, Weiss fell into step beside her sister as they made their way out of the large manufacturing floor. Side-by-side, the two of them re-entered the corridor and moved towards the bank of elevators. Where Weiss had felt cramped several minutes earlier, she now found there was plenty of breathing room - the ever-spacious halls providing ample room for walking in Winter's presence.

"How long since you've slept?"

The unexpected question made Weiss' brow furrow while the tired pressure behind her eyes re-announced itself on cue.

"I'm fine."

The words were short and clipped as she obediently followed her older sister through the halls of Schnee Dust's newest operating facility. A strong cup of coffee had gotten her through most of the morning after yet another night with no sleep to speak of. Another cup would be waiting for her later on - as many as she needed to carry her through the day. She didn't need sleep when she had a steady supply of caffeine at her fingertips. And, most importantly, she didn't need to have this conversation again.

"How long since you've eaten? A _real_ meal?"

Snapping her jaw shut, Weiss glowered down the hallway and remained silent as they stepped into the next empty elevator. There were plenty of other employees waiting to be ferried to the higher levels, but no one attempted to share the confined space - instead, the doors shut with just the two of them inside. As soon as the doors soundlessly sealed, Winter selected a floor and then resumed her perfect posture.

Glancing at the number, Weiss now understood that her sister was taking them to Weiss' office on the top floor of the building. Fine by her. At least there they would have some privacy if Winter insisted upon continuing this one-sided conversation.

"I thought you'd be in Mistral until next week," Weiss commented as the elevator climbed into the sky, both of them watching the floor numbers illuminate in succession rather than look at one another.

"I came back early."

"To check up on me?"

There was no response, which may as well have been a resounding 'yes.' Grinding her molars together, Weiss attempted to hold the indignation to a moderate level as it built in her chest.

The only reason she'd assumed it would be a normal work day was because Winter was out of town. To hear that she'd flown all the way back for no reason other than to monitor Weiss' wellbeing was aggravating and entirely unnecessary.

"Today's the 27th -"

"I'm well aware," Weiss snapped before Winter could finish the thought. The blunt reply caused Winter to pause for several seconds before finally speaking again - continuing her soft, patient tone.

"I thought that today, of all days, you might need someone to talk to."

Winter couldn't be more wrong. Today was the very worst day for Weiss speak about what had happened. Today was the day she wanted to do _anything_ but acknowledge the past.

"I'm fine," she grumbled towards the wall, folding her arms over her chest and tapping one foot in agitation. In the silence that followed, her stomach gave a small jolt when the elevator came to a stop - a soft _ding_ announcing their arrival.

The doors slid open to reveal a sparse corridor with no employees in sight. Compared to the manufacturing floors, this floor was well-decorated, with expensive paintings on the walls and living plants that required their own assistant to care for them. There were only a handful of offices on this level - Weiss' included.

In relative silence, Weiss followed Winter's lead towards the glass door - second on the left - which opened into a larger lobby that acted as a reception for any of Weiss' visitors. There was a desk placed immediately inside the doorway, although it was noticeably devoid of anyone at the moment.

When Weiss glanced around the room in search of the secretary who practically lived in this chair, Winter broke the quiet.

"I asked her to take an extended lunch break," Winter explained - the response only creasing Weiss' brow further.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted the opportunity to speak with you," Winter answered calmly, continuing in earnest when she heard the sigh Weiss let slip. "I knew today would be difficult for you -"

"Winter," Weiss interrupted, holding up one hand in an effort to prevent her sister from saying anything more. "I'm fine. Today is a day like any other. There's _nothing_ special about it."

The response would have been more believable if her voice hadn't cracked in the middle of delivering it, but, instead of arguing, Winter smiled sadly and placed her hands behind her back as if she didn't know what to truly do with them.

"I had a feeling you might say that..." she commented before turning her blue gaze back to Weiss. "I would do anything for you, you know that?"

"I know," Weiss replied, fully understanding that what Winter said was true. When Weiss had been younger, her sister was one of the only people she'd had in her life to lean on for support. Winter had done her part in ensuring that Weiss was protected - as much as was possible given their family circumstances. It still hadn't been easy, but...Weiss shuddered at the thought of what it could have been like without her sister.

Thankfully, the answer made Winter nod in content.

"I know we weren't able to grow up as normal people do," she continued. "There was always so much pressure to be perfect, on you more than anyone else. I worried how that would affect you…"

Weiss frowned, unsure if the comment was vaguely insulting in some way - as if Winter might be implying that she wasn't able to handle the pressure.

"I think I managed just fine."

"I know you did. You thrived in it. But at what point does perfectionism begin to affect you?"

The question appeared rhetorical from the way Winter's gaze unfocused, then drifted into a distant corner of the room. When Winter did return to the present moment, she took a step sideways to lead them towards the solid wood door of Weiss' office.

"Have you thought anymore about returning to Vale?" she asked as they walked, hopefully failing to notice how the mere mention of the city was enough to make Weiss flinch.

"No."

The answer was a complete lie. There wasn't a day that passed without Weiss grappling with whether or not she should leave Atlas - she considered it each morning before heading to a job that served only as a distraction, and each night while attempting to find some semblance of sleep in a house that would never be her home.

But the idea of returning to Vale terrified her far more than the reality of staying away did. That life had ended - this was her life now. One of these days, she had to accept that.

And Winter would have to, too.

Reaching the office door, Winter finally stopped and turned to Weiss with caring eyes that were almost too much sometimes. Knowing what Weiss had done, how could Winter still look at her in that way? _Weiss_ wasn't the one who needed compassion or concern right now. She wasn't the one who'd been forced into months and months of doctor's appointments and physical therapy.

"I only want what's best for you," Winter said, her eyes never leaving Weiss' so she would know that the words were true. Sighing at the sincerity, Weiss tried to let go of her stubbornness and at least recognize that her sister was looking out for her. And, even though she didn't believe she deserved any of that kindness, the fact that Winter still extended it was worthy of gratitude.

"I know," Weiss replied softly, dipping her head a fraction of an inch in deference. "I appreciate that - I really do."

Satisfied with the answer, Winter nodded her head once before opening the office door and gesturing Weiss through. Willingly obliging, it was only when Weiss' eyes found the room beyond that her feet planted to the floor. She actually took one step backwards, only to hear the sound of the door closing behind her. A second later, Winter placed one hand on Weiss' shoulder and gently prodded her forward.

She'd only been annoyed before - now she was on the verge of steaming mad.

"Weiss, this is Dr. Marigold," Winter explained, gesturing to the petite blonde woman who was rising from one of the comfortable leather chairs situated in front of the desk. "Doctor, this is my sister, Weiss."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman politely replied, stepping forward and extending a hand.

Agitated by the intrusion into her personal space, Weiss wanted very much to ignore the greeting, but she failed - the social training ingrained too deeply for her to circumvent so easily.

"Nice to meet you, too," she said in a clipped voice, quickly shaking the woman's hand before turning to Winter with a meaningful glare. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I have work to do."

"I've already cleared your afternoon schedule."

The sentence made Weiss spin back to Winter in disbelief.

"You did _what_?"

"I cleared it," Winter repeated, not wilting at all under Weiss' withering gaze. Instead, Winter stepped closer, setting one hand lovingly on Weiss' shoulder while dropping her voice to a whisper. "If you won't talk to me, you need to talk to someone."

"I'm _fine_ ," Weiss spit out through gritted teeth. The response only managed to make Winter sigh while the briefest expression of hurt flashed through her eyes.

"Please, Weiss. Do this for me? Fifteen minutes - that's all I'm asking."

There were so many words Weiss wanted to say right now - none of them very nice - but she could say nothing while company was present. The incredulity and annoyance would have to wait for another day when their conversation would remain private.

"If I do...then you'll drop this? For good?" she asked instead. Winter was slow in responding - her nod a hesitation late - but she did nod in agreement.

"If you want me to, yes."

This wasn't at _all_ what Weiss wanted to do right now, but if she could put up with it for a few minutes it would be worth finally escaping the subject altogether.

"Fine," she huffed out in response, hastily sitting on one of the chairs in the most disgruntled way she possibly could.

"Thank you," Winter replied softly, squeezing Weiss' shoulder again before quickly exiting the room and pulling the door quietly shut behind her. Once the room fell silent, Dr. Marigold took the seat in front of Weiss and watched her intently. It was a gaze of careful analysis that made her want to squirm in discomfort, but she refused to grant the woman the vindication.

"How has your day been, so far?" Dr. Marigold asked after several seconds. It was a simple question, but every bit of the woman's persona reeked of too much concern. It was hard to find that level of concern believable, even though the veneer was genuine.

"It was wonderful until two minutes ago," Weiss quipped in reply, folding her arms across her chest in what she knew came across as a defensive position. But she _was_ defensive. This was _her_ office and her sister had invited a goddamn shrink into it.

"Your sister is worried about you - that's the only reason she would go to such great lengths to help you."

"So I've heard," Weiss replied before rolling her eyes. Falling silent, she stared out of the floor-to-ceiling windows of her office while clenching and unclenching her jaw in anger. She'd always known that Winter would try to help, but to do this? This was nearly unconscionable.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Dr. Marigold finally ventured to ask.

"No."

More silence followed as Weiss refused to look anywhere but the freshly-cleaned window glass. The cleaners had actually missed a small spot. She'd have to point that out to them later...

"Your sister told me a little bit about what happened. I can only imagine how difficult this has been for you…"

That statement brought Weiss' eyes snapping back to the woman, feeling a sudden surge of fire burn through her veins.

"You can't even _imagine_ what this is like," she replied, her voice low and angry. "Unless, somehow, you've _also_ lost your partner and best friend - all because of a mistake _you_ made. Because of your own _failings_."

She glared at the woman while waiting for a response, but Dr. Marigold was silent for several seconds before speaking again - undeterred by the hostility.

"Sometimes, when traumatic events happen, we forget that even those who escaped _physically_ unharmed can suffer emotional injuries -"

" _I'm fine._ "

How many times must she reiterate that sentence before it became true? She couldn't _not_ be fine. She couldn't be weak or broken. 'Emotionally injured' wasn't a label someone in her family could ever accept.

"You might be walking fine and speaking fine, but what about sleeping? Eating?"

Pausing, Dr. Marigold finally caught Weiss' gaze - her own yellow-brown eyes emitting open empathy and compassion for stories and woes she'd yet to hear.

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"I try not to have any," Weiss answered easily, pulling away from that understanding gaze.

There was no one more involved in the day-to-day tasks in this building than she was. Even her father had seemed mildly impressed with the level of commitment she put into getting this factory up and running ahead of schedule. Each day she came in earlier than anyone else. She stayed later. She worked weekends. There was no such thing as a day off for her. When she did end up away from the office, she brought work with her and spent her evenings consumed in the fine print until she might literally fall asleep at her desk.

Free time wasn't a part of her schedule by design, for it was in the moments when life slowed down that the tidal wave of emotions began to erode the edges of her mind. The doubt...the agony...the overwhelming sense of loss...

"I understand today is an important day for you."

The comment succeeded in making her flinch in pain - if that had been the doctor's intention. Weiss had started the day determined not to acknowledge the date and its significance. It would've been much easier to accomplish that goal if life wasn't set on reminding her at every possible turn.

"It was supposed to be," she replied, dropping her gaze and watching her fingers curl and uncurl in her lap.

"Do you ever think back on what happened?"

It was a stupid question, and she gave the woman a look that said as much.

"Would _you_ think about it?" she shot back sarcastically.

Even though she'd removed all free time from her schedule, her brain always seemed to find pockets of time to dwell on the past. No matter how busy she kept herself, no matter how much work she did, her mind found moments in which to needle her heart with agony. When she walked from meeting to meeting, waited for a cup of coffee, or was driven home from the office - there were still small gaps in her schedule that were more than enough for the wave of emotions to wash against her levees. The moments, though seemingly minor, constantly threatened to unravel her...preventing her from ever feeling whole.

Even if she could somehow manage to block out these portions of the day, there was the problem of sleeping…as soon as she closed her eyes the memories came back - the forest, the blood, the hospital, the blank way silver passed right over her. If she did manage to fall asleep, it was with the assurance of nightmares - a replay of true events or new tortures her mind created just for her personal viewing. They were filled with 'coward,' 'failure,' 'your fault,' and the worst of all…'I thought you loved me.'

So, yes. While she attempted to keep herself busy at all times and hours of the day, she still thought about the past - constantly. There were triggers all around her - the smell of flowers, which she'd ordered removed from the building to be replaced by scentless plants. The smell of baked goods, causing her to alter the path taken to work to avoid passing too closely to a small bakery nearby.

In every way, the world beckoned her to look back - and, when she first arrived in Atlas, she made the mistake of listening. There were messages between her and Ruby still trapped in her scroll. There were photos, saved voice messages, saved video messages. She'd spent nearly an entire day crying after going through them, and hadn't dared glance at them again. Instead, she silently grieved, and grieved, and grieved, for the love they'd lost.

"Have you spoken with anyone about it?"

"No."

That was a pretty simple answer. Of course she hadn't spoken to anyone about what had happened - besides when she'd still been in Vale. Everyone had needed a summary when Ruby had gotten hurt, but that hadn't meant they needed to know how Weiss felt about it. There'd been no reason to mention the rampant guilt and anguish that spread through her like an infection...taking over her system the instant it was clear Ruby was never fully coming back.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Dr. Marigold followed up.

"No," Weiss still replied - another easy answer to give.

Evidently undaunted, Dr. Marigold leaned forward and rested both elbows on her knees before clasping her hands together.

"You're not alone in this," she remarked quietly. "You have people who care about you. People you can lean on for support."

"Who?" Weiss asked, anger again beginning to swell in her chest at the woman's continued lack of understanding. "The friend whose sister I abandoned? Or that friend's partner and girlfriend?" She shook her head at the idiotic idea. "The only person I've ever felt comfortable being honest with is gone. And she's not coming back."

When Dr. Marigold leaned away, Weiss shook her head again - this time in annoyance that the woman had managed to pull that information out of her.

"Have you ever thought about how that day might have hurt you too?"

"Do I look injured to you?" Weiss snapped, leveling a steely gaze across the space between them.

"I work with huntsmen - many of them," Dr. Marigold continued, ignoring the sarcasm. "And I can tell you that physical injuries aren't the only things that leave scars behind. While you may _appear_ uninjured, that might not be the case."

Weiss scoffed at the psychoanalytical attempt at rationalizing her behavior.

"Clearly you don't know much about my family. We aren't exactly known for our _mental weakness._ "

"Does your family name grant you invincibility?"

"Basically," she retorted, using the answer to be haughty and confrontational. However, Dr. Marigold didn't take the bait. Instead, she looked at Weiss closely, carefully, as if she could read the guilt and insecurity tattooed on Weiss' skin.

"How does it make you feel that you're sitting here, 'unharmed,' while your partner is still in and out of the hospital?"

Weiss immediately felt her face contort in pain and rage at the question. In and out? Ruby had been released and readmitted to the hospital? Why? Had something gone wrong? Were there complications? Were her injuries worse than initially diagnosed?

"How would it make you feel?" she weakly shot back while struggling to regain control of her spiking emotions. Unfortunately, Dr. Marigold took the question seriously and furrowed her brow with great thought.

"It would make me feel...very guilty, I believe," she answered sincerely. "I would be sad...distraught...maybe even angry that the results had been so unequal - where I was able to walk away when she could not. That's not very fair, is it?"

"No, it's not," Weiss mumbled, finally agreeing with something the woman had to say.

The results hadn't been close to fair...and there had been absolutely nothing Weiss could do about it. She would've gladly taken all of the pain for herself...but if she couldn't do that, couldn't they at least share in the repercussions? Why had Ruby been forced to shoulder everything? Why hadn't there been some way for Weiss to alleviate her partner's burdens?

"Can you tell me what made you leave?" Dr. Marigold asked. The quiet question was innocent enough, but it touched on the one subject Weiss refused to discuss with anyone.

"I'm sure Winter already provided you with a rundown," she replied before checking the clock - making the motion as obvious as possible.

"She told me about how successful your team was, and how talented your partner was personally. She seemed very proud of what you were able to accomplish with them."

The longer Dr. Marigold spoke, the harder Weiss clenched her teeth together. But the doctor continued regardless, seemingly oblivious to Weiss' growing anger at her former team being spoken about so casually.

"She also mentioned that your partner was very special. 'Extraordinarily talented' I believe were the words she used. How did it make you feel to have a partner who was able to hold a small candle to yourself?"

Squeezing one hand into a fist in her lap, Weiss frowned at the woman sitting across from her.

" _Ruby_ was always better than me," she answered in quiet anger, annoyed by the way Dr. Marigold refused to use Ruby's name. "She did more than hold a candle to me - she blew me away."

Dr. Marigold nodded at the statement.

"That must have made it even more difficult to see her fall in battle. We expect our heroes to always be there for us -"

"Then she shouldn't have gotten in the way!" Weiss shouted at the woman, rising out of her seat as frustration and anger flashed past her boiling point. "I never asked for her help! Why did she always insist on being _so - damn - selfless_?"

The room became deathly quiet as hot tears sprang into Weiss' eyes. Quickly retaking her seat, she raised one shaking hand to wipe across her eyes while trying to pull herself together.

Dr. Marigold didn't seem at all disturbed by Weiss' outburst. In fact, she appeared rather unsurprised by the sudden display of emotion. Weiss should have seen this coming...and she should have been better equipped to guard herself against such mental intrusion. It was always this way with these people - they would needle and needle away at a sore spot until their patient inevitably lashed out, then they would use that fit of temper as proof of whatever point they were attempting to make.

Knowing this, she should have done a better job remaining calm and collected. She shouldn't have allowed her emotions to get the better of her.

"When you say she shouldn't have gotten in the way…" Dr. Marigold began quietly. "What you're saying is that she shouldn't have saved your life."

A few minutes ago, Weiss had been successfully masking her lack of sleep with copious amounts of coffee, but suddenly she felt every bit as tired as she should. Not just tired - she felt drained, as if her willpower had been sucked right out of her.

Given her current state of weakness, she allowed herself a few additional seconds to regain control and place an iron cage around her raw emotions. She forced the tears back inside, where they belonged, and clamped the lid shut on her wretched past. Only when she was confident in her ability to survive the rest of this conversation did she look up and meet Dr. Marigold's gaze dead on.

"I'm saying that she should have saved herself," she answered steadily.

They both understood the implication of that statement. But out of Weiss and Ruby, who was more valuable? Who was the better fighter? The better leader? The better sister and better friend?

Between the two of them, who was the better person? Who was more deserving of a long, happy life?

"What do you plan to do now?"

Opening her mouth to reply, Weiss found no words to use for what should be another simple answer. Confusion began to mount as she realized that, for the first time that she could remember, she didn't have a plan for the future.

What would the future hold for her? Growing up, this had been an easy question to answer. She would hone her skills, be admitted to Beacon, and become a world-renowned huntress. She would save lives. She would wipe away sour taste her family's name left in people's mouths. She would make a difference.

Maybe her downfall was that she hadn't dreamt large enough, because she'd partially accomplished all of those objectives before her life came crashing down upon her head. Even more than her childhood delusions of heroism, she'd found a family who'd accepted her unconditionally, discovered hidden depths of power she'd never known existed, and learned what it meant to be truly selfless.

These days her only ambition was to muddle through the days while avoiding the past. She lived from minute to minute, one second to the next. Instead of charging towards lofty dreams, she was drifting through an endless sea of doubt and self-loathing. Instead of having purpose and direction, she was...lost at sea.

That fateful day had changed everything in the blink of an eye. That day had taken something from Weiss. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was, but a part of her had disappeared along with Ruby's memories.

"I'll figure something out."

What would she do when this new Dust facility was up and running? When her eighteen hour workdays dropped to twelve or ten? Would she run off to whatever plant was next on the list? Would she just keep running, forever, until one day time caught up to her?

They were supposed to spend eternity together. They were supposed to spend every day of the rest of their lives together. Instead, Weiss had been forced to confront a life without Ruby. And who was she without Ruby?

"From what I've been told and what I've heard, you're an incredibly talented and capable young woman. I know that this type of situation must be scary and unfamiliar to you, but I want to help. I don't want to see you self destruct."

It might already be too late for such a sentiment, but Weiss didn't bother to say so. Instead, she glanced at the clock again and mulled over a question before finally asking it aloud.

"If you had any advice for someone like me, what would it be?"

The answer would likely be of minimal use to her, but she'd been taught too well to collect the advice of highly-skilled professionals whenever the opportunity presented itself. Seeing as how Dr. Marigold had gathered far more information than Weiss had been willing to provide, she would begrudgingly admit that the woman was highly skilled.

Seeming to sense that this was the one opportunity to offer some words of wisdom, Dr. Marigold thought carefully before responding.

"This exile of yours - sequestered away from your friends and teammates - understand that it's _your_ choosing. No one asked you to leave. In fact, they'd probably like for you to come back -"

The comment made Weiss scoff in disbelief. The idea that Yang would welcome her back was almost laughable, but Dr. Marigold continued on as if Weiss hadn't just interrupted her.

"Guilt and fear are powerful emotions, but we can't let them control us. In most cases blame can't be placed solely on any one party, but we blame ourselves completely whether or not we're at fault. If I were to give you any advice, I would suggest that you try to see the difference between punishing yourself and truly working towards forgiveness - from others, but mostly from yourself."

Forgive herself...Weiss would never do it. Not as long as Ruby was still in pain. Not as long as Ruby's life was still in shambles. And even if Ruby somehow made a miraculous recovery...Weiss might not even forgive herself then.

Nodding in acknowledgement of the advice, even though she wasn't willing to accept it, her eyes shifted again to the clock before she stood up.

"Our fifteen minutes are up," she said, shaking the woman's hand again when Dr. Marigold stood to join her. "It was very nice meeting you. Please see yourself out."

Rather than immediately head towards the door, Dr. Marigold rustled briefly in the bag Weiss had failed to notice sitting by the chair before placing a small, white card facedown on the edge of the desk.

"Feel free to call me anytime. I'm more than happy to come back."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Weiss replied, walking over to her desk chair and picking up a document that had been left for review. She held it up as if she might read it, but her mind wasn't capable of absorbing any of the letters on the page. Instead, she stared at it blankly until the sound of the office door closing signaled that she could finally relax.

Dropping the page onto the desk, she reached across and picked up Dr. Marigold's business card before immediately throwing it into the garbage can. Satisfied that any trace of the woman would disappear with the next cleaning crew, she walked over to the side of her office and stood in front of the glass windows looking out from the top of Schnee Tower - overlooking the bustling Atlas city center below and the massive expanses of forest off in the distance. In the surface of the glass, she could just barely see a reflection of herself - a ghost of the girl she'd once been. The dark circles under her eyes refused to be hidden by any amount of expensive concealer. Her skin was gaunt and her clothing hung off of her shrinking frame like she was slowly starving to death.

Closing her eyes to remove that image from her mind, she turned away from the glass.

She was fine.

She was fine, she was fine, she was fine.

The shaking in her limbs was the result of skipping breakfast, not the conversation she'd just experienced. The sharp ache in her chest was from the stress of her job, not the despair of being worlds away from the people she loved.

Sighing, she opened her eyes and walked back to her desk. Stopping down, she picked the business card out of the trash before sticking it into one of her desk drawers _in case_ she needed it as a reference later. As she did so, her gaze fell upon Myrtenaster - who leaning against the back of the desk chair right where she'd set it this morning.

Picking up the weapon, she spun it in her hands over and over again while pacing the length of her office - savoring the weight of metal that was more familiar to her than anything else she owned. It was like an extension of her own body and, as such, she brought it with her to and from work every day even when she had no purpose in doing so. She didn't need Myrtenaster here. She didn't need Myrtenaster period. Yet...she refused to be separated from her weapon.

She'd always considered it to be the one possession in the world that was hers and hers alone, but now even Myrtenaster was burned with the memories of another. It was as much Ruby's weapon as it was her own. How many hours had they spent down in the workshop together while Ruby tinkered with the weapon and Weiss 'supervised?' How many adjustments had Ruby made and then personally tested before every single aspect of the weapon felt iron tight?

It was the one possession Weiss still had that linked her to her partner. It was the only thing she'd refused to let go of, because it felt like she could communicate with Ruby through the etchings in the blade. Somehow, someway, through the microscopic alterations and painstakingly crafted upgrades, Ruby spoke through Myrtenaster.

As her pacing slowed to a stop, Weiss closed her eyes, wrapped her fingers around the grip and squeezed tightly.

' _How does it feel? Does it feel awesome? Do you like it?'_

A small sob escaped while tears burned behind her eyes once more. Her weapon was perfect because the person who'd been in charge of working on it spent countless hours ensuring it was perfect. Ruby devoted hours and hours of her life to making sure Weiss had a wonderful weapon to fight with - all while never expecting anything as much as a 'thank you' in return.

Holding Myrtenaster upright and touching the cool blade gently to her forehead, Weiss stood still as a statue while her shoulders shook with emotion.

"I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry…" she whispered before another sob crept out and the first wave of tears spilled over. "I didn't mean it…you know I didn't m-mean it..."

Of course she wasn't mad at Ruby. How could she be mad when she would've done the same thing without even thinking? They were teammates - all of them had been prepared to lay down their lives for one another. It was just...that Weiss never expected that _she'd_ be the one who needed saving…

If she was mad at anyone, it was herself. For not being better. For being in the situation where she needed to be saved, to begin with.

She loved that Ruby was selfless. She loved that Ruby never hesitated to help someone in need. She loved that, in a world where everyone looked after only themselves, there was someone like Ruby out there making a difference. Of all people though, _Weiss_ didn't deserve to be the one Ruby saved. Weiss didn't deserve to be the one Ruby sacrificed herself for.

As the tears continued to fall, Weiss clenched Myrtenaster tightly in one hand and tried to draw an iota of strength from the weapon that had once been her backbone.

Every time she broke down like this, it felt like it was more and more difficult to piece herself together again. It was as if the very act of crying was eroding the edges of the puzzle pieces in her mind - allowing nothing to fit perfectly back together the next time around.

And she was so tired to crying by now. One of these days, there would be no more tears left...right?

When the tears slowed to a light trickle, she opened her eyes and whipped Myrtenaster down to her side, sending a snap through the air. After wiping her free hand across her eyes to rid them of the remaining moisture, she stared out of the window towards the forest in the distance and the perpetually snow-capped mountains even further beyond.

Dr. Marigold brought up the subject of fairness - and she was right. How was this fair? While Weiss marched around barking orders at subordinates, Ruby probably hadn't been allowed to walk around on her own. While Weiss had been spending restless nights in her mansion, Ruby had been stuck in a hospital bed. While Weiss wrestled with the decision of whether or not to leave Atlas, Ruby hadn't even been able to go home.

And while Ruby toiled through months of physical therapy, probably unaware that she might never regain full strength in her hand, Weiss was a world away - never having to suffer any of the consequences of her own mistake. There was no struggle in her ivory tower. There was no difficulty outside of what she created for herself.

How was this fair?

At the very least, she should be forced to fight for the privileged breaths she took. She should find the road as difficult and tedious as the one Ruby must travel. Only then could the subject of fairness even begin to be discussed.

Striding back to her desk, Weiss jabbed the intercom button to one of the other assistants.

"Have an airship ready for me in three minutes," she ordered before rushing out of the room with Myrtenaster in hand. Still waiting in the empty reception area, Winter immediately stood and walked over to join her.

"I know you're angry -"

"No," Weiss cut her sister off, shaking her head. "I'm not angry. But now that I've fulfilled your request, I'd very much appreciate if we could leave the matter be."

For a second it appeared as if Winter wanted to press the issue, but instead she sighed and nodded her head. It was at that moment that her eyes found Myrtenaster, and she turned back to Weiss in surprise.

"Where are you going?"

"I have somewhere I need to be," Weiss answered, ignoring the worried gaze and ducking around her sister to walk back into the hall.

"Why do you need Myrtenaster?" Winter pressed while following Weiss to the elevators and watching as she pressed the button to summon the next one.

"Believe me, you'd much rather I had Myrtenaster with me than not," Weiss commented lightly.

"Weiss...where are you going?"

Done with the conversation, she stepped into the arriving elevator and watched as the doors blocked out concerned blue eyes.

"I'm going to make things a little more fair."

The elevator was enveloped in silence and her stomach dropped when it was pulled further into the sky. It slowed only a matter of seconds later, causing her to shake Myrtenaster with the beginning of anxious jitters.

There was one more level to Schnee Tower - the rooftop.

The doors opened and she was greeted by a cold blast of wind and the steady roar of engines. Blinking her eyes against the steadily rushing air, she left the elevator behind and strode purposefully towards the airship that was waiting for her - waiting to take her to the forest.


	16. Chapter 16

**I swear, the author's notes get harder every week. I need a manual on what to type here or something...**

 **Oh! Here's a little tidbit for you guys. By my estimation, this story took me about 3 hours per 1000 words to write. Maybe 4 hours (ugh - I'm a slow writer). This chapter is just about 8000 words so...**

 **Actually, let's not do the math. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _Will tomorrow afternoon be alright?_

Grinning at the message, Ruby typed out a hasty 'Yes!' and sent it without a second thought. Tomorrow afternoon would be _perfect_ for Weiss to come over - the sooner the better! _This_ afternoon would be even more perfect, but Ruby couldn't really say that. She could, but she didn't want to pressure Weiss into coming back so soon.

Honestly, Ruby hadn't wanted Weiss to leave last night when they'd been talking in the garage. It was really nice to spend time together - just...hanging out, looking over Myrtenaster, and getting to know each other. That's what friends did, right? It was fun - and...nice. She couldn't think of a better word for it than that!

It sucked that Weiss had to go home at night, but they were probably a little too old to have sleepovers. So...Ruby would have to deal with waiting another day to see Weiss again.

And she'd ask Blake about the sleepovers, because maybe it was actually ok! Who knew? Well, Blake would know.

"Who ya textin'?"

"No one!" Ruby immediately replied. She tried to put her scroll out of sight, but didn't get it far enough away before Yang walked behind the sofa and snatched it out of her fingers. Squeaking in surprise, she flashed around the sofa and grabbed it back from her sister.

"Yang!" she scolded when the device was safely back in her grasp. "This is private property!"

Of course, her response only made Yang laugh.

"Relax, Ruby. I'd never read your stuff!"

That was probably true...Yang would only _pretend_ to read it, but still! Private property meant that it was private property. That's why Ruby had written her name on the back of her scroll with a permanent marker - then Yang couldn't use the 'well I didn't _knowww_ it was yours' excuse _again_.

"Well good!" Ruby replied with a curt nod. "Because you wouldn't want me going through _your_ scroll, would you?"

Why did she say that? It was a complete bluff, but apparently a good one because Yang's eyes widened and she shook her head with an emphatic 'no.' The response made Ruby scrunch up her nose at the thought of whatever her sister was hiding. There were probably a whole bunch of mushy 'I love you' messages between Yang and Blake - that's all the two ever seemed to say to each other.

"Probablyyy best if you didn't do that," Yang commented with a light chuckle. "But come on, who're you messaging? I haven't seen you use that thing in ages."

"If you _must_ know," Ruby began, to which Yang nodded like she did need to know, "I'm talking to Weiss."

"Weiss?" The name made Yang's brow furrow in confusion. "But how do you -"

Realization suddenly dawned and a grin slowly appeared on Yang's lips. Slow grins were the _worst_ because it meant Yang had just figured out something that she found particularly amusing. And amusing to Yang almost always meant _embarrassing_ for Ruby.

"How'd you get her number?" Yang asked, her voice teasing as she quickly stepped forward and wrapped Ruby up in both arms, lifting her right off the ground. "Who asked, huh?" Yang quizzed Ruby while strong fingers tickled her ribs. "Did she ask for your number?"

"Yannnggg!" she whined, letting out several giggles while trying and failing to squirm away. "Lemme goooo!"

"Not until you tell me! Did she ask you?"

When Yang's fingers dug into the most ticklish spots between her ribs, Ruby burst into laughter - gasping for breath while _trying_ to answer the question.

"No! I-I did!"

The answer was like a magic spell that made Yang drop her arms and allowed Ruby to dash a safe distance away. Jeez - she needed to be on higher alert. No more unsuspected tickle attacks! She was never strong enough to get out of her sister's grip - it was like being caught in the world's strongest tickle machine. Only machines would follow some sort of logical programming, but Yang just kept tickling until she got whatever she wanted. Which she always did!

" _You_ asked for her number?" Yang asked, a look of disbelief on her face. "You did. Ruby Rose. Asked for a girl's number."

If Yang was trying to embarrass Ruby right now, it was working.

"Weiss' number," she corrected, as if that was actually a correction.

"Is Weiss not a girl?"

"She's your friend!"

Yang shrugged off the comment before reaching out to try to ruffle Ruby's hair, but this time Ruby dodged out of the way in time. "Maybe. But where'd you find all the courage to do that, huh?"

"It's no big deal," Ruby replied, trying to sound nonchalant. It had been so nerve-wrecking though!

"Uh huh…" Shaking her head, Yang clearly saw straight through the lie. "Weren't you worried that she might say 'no?'"

"Of course not!"

Ruby had actually been _terrified_ that Weiss would say 'no' and then she would be super embarrassed for trying to ask at all.

"Really?" Yang asked, again seeing right through the lie. "So you were pretty confident that one of the wealthiest girls on the planet would willingly hand over her personal number to you?"

"Uh...yup!"

Another big, fat lie. Thank god Ruby hadn't gone to Yang for advice beforehand...otherwise she never would've asked at all!

"Well look at you, casanova!" Yang said before chuckling good-naturedly. "I just might be able to pass on the torch yet!"

"Casa-what? What torch?"

"The _torch_ , Ruby. The one that gets you all the _ladies_ ," Yang answered with a wink that made Ruby's cheeks get a little hotter. "I mean, I don't need it anymore cuz I've got Blake! But you - you can use it to woo Weiss and everyone else."

"Aw Yang! It's not like that!" Ruby whined. She'd asked for Weiss' number because she thought it would be nice if they could talk a little more often. That was it!

"Uh huh...not _yet_."

Tired of her sister's teasing, Ruby reached out and gave Yang's shoulder a little shove. The action only made Yang laugh and quickly succeed in shooting out one hand to ruffle Ruby's hair.

"What's so funny?"

The two of them turned towards Blake as she walked into the kitchen with an empty glass held in one hand, heading over to the sink to fill it with water.

"Did you know Ruby asked for Weiss' number?" Yang told Blake gleefully. Ruby shot her sister a look that said 'thanks a lot for tattling,' to which Yang only stuck out her tongue.

Blake already knew that Ruby _had_ Weiss' number, but Ruby never specified who'd done the asking. Was it important who had asked who?

"Did you really?" Blake asked before nodding in appreciation. "Well done."

"Why is that such a big deal?" Ruby asked in confusion. "I was just being friendly. It's not a big deal, right?"

It wasn't like she'd asked Weiss to marry her or something! It was only a number! It was a means of conversing when not in person, not a blood pact! But the way Blake and Yang looked at her made it seem like Ruby had just joined some sort of Weiss-worshipping cult. Not that she'd be completely against that...but that's not what she'd done!

Of course, Blake and Yang turned back to each other without giving Ruby an answer. Typical dumb roommates.

"I was telling her I can pass on the torch now!" Yang explained, walking over to give Blake a kiss on the cheek.

Ruby pouted when her question went ignored, but she really wanted to know more about this torch. Was it always on fire? How big was it? Did it have any special powers besides 'getting all the ladies?' Like was it also a taser? And where did Yang keep it? Ruby'd been all around this house and she'd never seen a torch anywhere...

"Have you seen the torch, Blake?" she asked.

"Torch?" Blake repeated. Her brow was creased in confusion as she turned to Yang, who was giving her a very expectant expression. "Oh right - that torch. Yes, I've seen it. Set my whole world on fire."

The response made Yang laugh and kiss Blake again on the cheek. Rolling her eyes at what she had to assume was another joke she'd never get, Ruby decided to let the subject drop for now. If she really was supposed to inherit some magical torch, Yang would give her all the details later on.

Maybe it shot fireballs or something? That'd be pretty cool and definitely worth having around….

"So if you're talkin' to Weiss," Yang said after turning her attention back to Ruby. "Do you know when she's coming over to fight you?"

"Tomorrow afternoon!"

The answer made Yang grin and wave Ruby towards the hallway. "Ok, then let's go practice!"

"What? Right now?"

"Yeah! You need to be prepared for tomorrow!"

"It's just a little spar, Yang, not a championship fight," Ruby replied while obediently following her sister out of the kitchen towards the backyard.

She was hesitant to admit it, but she was a bit nervous about fighting Weiss. For what felt like forever, she'd fought only against Blake and hand-to-hand against Yang. The idea of a new person with a different fighting style made her excited and apprehensive at the same time.

Plus, it was _Weiss._ Ruby really, really wanted Weiss to think that she was a good fighter. Especially because Weiss seemed to be good at practically everything - at least, that was the vibe she put off. In comparison, Ruby wasn't very good at many things, so there wasn't much opportunity to impress Weiss.

Why did she want to impress Weiss so badly? She didn't really know why, but she needed to do her best! It would be _so_ embarrassing if Weiss completely mopped the floor...or the grass...with her. Those grass stains would probably _never_ come out.

"Hey, uh...how good is Weiss?" she asked while stepping out onto the back porch.

Throwing a few warm up jabs in the air, Yang turned back and grinned.

"She's pretty good, but nothing you can't handle."

The answer was reassuring. Yang would definitely let Ruby know if Weiss was some unstoppable force with pretty eyes and an awesome weapon. Yang wouldn't let Ruby get destroyed in their own backyard.

Or would she? She wouldn't, right? It _did_ sound like something Yang would find funny...but she wouldn't want Weiss to win because of...all of the reasons Ruby still didn't know or fully understand.

But she had the upper hand! She'd just examined Myrtenaster last night, so she had a good idea what the weapon was capable of! Speaking of Myrtenaster...

"Do you know who made the upgrades to Weiss' weapon?" she asked as she followed her sister to the middle of the yard. Pausing, Yang thought about the question for a second before shrugging her shoulders.

"Some girl, I think. Don't think she does it anymore."

"That's what Weiss said," Ruby sighed in defeat. "I _really_ want to know how she made some of those upgrades though! And the welds were so tiny and precise…"

"You can do the same thing!"

She scoffed at her sister's optimism. She was probably _years_ away from being able to do any of that stuff. And that was only a guess since she'd never actually tried anything of that magnitude before, but guesses based on no firsthand experience were usually very accurate...said no one ever. Maybe she should try making welds that small…it would just take a lot of practice.

But she didn't only want to know _how_ to do those things - she also wanted to know _who_ had etched those words into Weiss' weapon without her knowing. It was hard for Ruby to believe that some unimportant person would dare write something like 'believe in yourself' on someone else's weapon. That'd be like a stranger giving her a tattoo while she waited to cross the street - only _weirder_.

And if this person was so important to Weiss, where were they now? Why weren't they around anymore? Were they the reason Weiss seemed so down sometimes?

Ruby's heart clenched when she thought that maybe...maybe they had died. It was a morbid thought, but for huntsmen it was the risk they agreed to take. That could also explain why Weiss hadn't brought up that she was a huntress - there could be bad memories there. But Weiss wanted to come on the hunt with Ruby! Why would she want to come if she had bad memories from a previous hunt?

Ugh. It was all so confusing.

"No weapons," Yang said, turning to face Ruby and lifting both hands to the ready. Rather than dwell on Weiss any longer, Ruby was forced to focus on the impending fight. It was probably for the best, because trying to figure out what had happened was making her head spin.

"Sometimes you don't have a weapon in a fight, so you gotta improvise," Yang was saying while bouncing between both feet. "You gotta be quick. Rely on your instincts - trust your gut. Having a weapon only makes you overconfident -"

Raising her own hands, slightly bending her knees and rocking towards the balls of her feet, Ruby rolled her eyes at the monologue.

"You've given this speech before, Yang," she teased. "I get it - hand-to-hand combat is sooooo much better than having an _incredible_ weapon that deals a _ton_ of damage and is _also_ a gun."

The reply made Yang purse her lips and lower her hands.

"Ok wise guy. Then you wanna fight me with Crescent Rose?"

Ruby immediately went flat footed and dropped her hands to her sides. They didn't fight with weapons anymore because the first (and last) time they tried that...well, it hadn't gone very well. It would've been more fun to throw a stick into a beehive and then try to catch all of the bees with bare hands. And that wasn't fun at all - she would know.

"Are you serious?" Her voice squeaked while Yang smirked in return.

"If you are."

It _had_ been a long time since they'd tried this. The months had given Ruby time to regain her strength and get used to fighting with her gimpy hand...

"But…"

"You beat Blake, didn't you?" Yang pointed out before giving Ruby an encouraging smile. "Come on, let's just try."

Stick/beehive or Yang/Ember Celica?

"You promise not to throw me over the woods again?" she asked first, to which Yang drew a cross over her heart in promise. Satisfied with that, she nodded and Yang beamed.

"Blake!" Yang called back into the house, drawing the girl in question out onto the porch a few seconds later. "Hey there, sweetheart," Yang said cheerfully, but Blake immediately rolled her eyes.

"What do you need?"

"Well, now that you ask, I was wondering if you could grab Ember Celica for me?"

The request made Blake's eyes widen in surprise. Her eyes flickered to Ruby before returning to Yang.

"Really?"

"Yup! Ruby said that hand-to-hand combat is _lame_. She wants to pull out the big guns."

"That's not what I said!" Ruby whined, but it was already too late. Blake disappeared into the house and reappeared a few minutes later carrying both of their weapons and Ruby's glove. She tossed the gauntlets over to Yang, who caught them and gave Blake a wink.

"Thanks Blakey!"

Failing to suppress a small smile, Blake then brought Crescent Rose and the new glove over to Ruby. After handing them over, she walked over to the porch and sat down on the step.

"I've got to watch this," she commented while Yang and Ruby prepared themselves for a suddenly real battle.

But this was good - a witness. Now there would be someone to call the hospital.

Sliding on the glove, Ruby briefly clenched her fingers into a tight fist and then released. Satisfied that everything was working perfectly, she unfolded Crescent Rose and hesitantly faced Yang.

Of course her sister was making a show of gearing up - pulling on one gauntlet, making a fist, then spinning the shotgun shells into place. The second gauntlet followed suit before both were cocked in unison.

The entire act was unnecessary because Ruby was already terrified. It was one thing to fight Yang with no semblances and no weapons involved. Fighting with everything? Her sister was a full-fledged huntress! Well...Blake was too, but still! Blake was actually a sane fighter. Or as sane as a crazy ninja shadow warrior could be. Yang was straight up insane.

When they were kids, Ruby and Yang trained together all the time. Yang always won. It didn't matter how many of Yang's moves Ruby memorized - her sister was always a couple years ahead, and a couple of years made a big difference at that age. It meant that Yang was taller, stronger, and in more control of her semblance. She didn't accidentally blast herself into the side of the house at full speed, which had only happened to Ruby a _handful_ of times.

At one point, Ruby was able to put up a good fight, but Yang _now_ was a lot different than Yang _then_. For one thing, she'd learned a lot of new moves at Beacon that Ruby had never seen before. And then Yang was just all around better - stronger, faster, and maybe a _little_ smarter.

"Ok, Ruby," Yang said, tapping her fists together with a metallic clang of metal on metal. "Same rules as with Blake."

Nodding, Ruby clutched Crescent Rose close to her chest and sent a small prayer up to her mom for protection. She would love to see her mom again, but maybe not _quite_ this soon. Although...then she and Mom could spend the rest of forever haunting Yang! That'd be pretty awesome.

"Ready?" Yang asked, raising both fists and bouncing slightly up and down on her toes.

"I think so..."

"Then let's dance." Grinning, Yang waved Ruby forward with one hand.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby decided that she would attack first - catch Yang off guard and hopefully earn a small advantage in the process. Dashing straight ahead with her full semblance, she slid to the right at the last second and sliced her weapon through the air towards Yang's ribs.

That was the precise moment she felt something strong - very, _very_ strong - grab hold of Crescent Rose. Before she could even let go of her weapon, she was jerked backwards off her feet and thrown into the ground with a thud. As if the impact hadn't been enough to paralyze her, a hard knee pressed down on her sternum not even a second later.

"Gotcha," Yang called down to Ruby before hopping up and pulling her to her feet. Somewhere in the collision with the ground she must have dropped Crescent Rose, because Yang was now pressing the weapon back into her hands.

"I hope you're paying my medical bills," Ruby groaned, wheezing slightly and placing one hand on her lower back. The nice, squishy grass _looked_ soft, but it was _not_. Definitely not. She'd met rocks softer!

"Blake pays those!" Yang quipped before shooting a glance towards the house. "Right?"

"You only asked me to 'take care of them,'" Blake replied with a smirk. "You never said _how_."

Laughing nervously, Yang turned back and shrugged.

"They're being taken care of somehow," she said before leaning forward and putting one hand beside her mouth to whisper, "But it's probably best not to ask how."

Yang and Blake both giggled while Ruby shook her head and grimaced.

"Now I remember why we don't fight with weapons…" she mumbled, finally straightening her back and hearing a loud, somewhat alarming pop. Yup, pretty sure she was going to have some serious back problems when she was older. Squinting her eyes, she peered at her sister in confusion. "How did you know I was going to do that?"

"You've been using that move for years," Yang replied with a grin.

"What? But that's not fair!" Ruby immediately complained. "I didn't know that!"

If she'd been using it for years, that probably meant it was a good move. But it also meant that her sister had memorized it by now.

"What am I supposed to do? Not react to it just because you don't remember using it before?"

"Yes! Show some sympathy, jeez!" she shouted playfully. "Remember that your poor little sister lost a lot of her memories!"

The comment only made Yang smile and shake her head.

"There's no sympathy in battle! You can't pull the injury card on an Ursa."

"Watch me!" Ruby said just to be difficult. Laughing, Yang raised both fists and waved Ruby towards her.

"Ok little sis - why don't you pretend I'm a big, bad Ursa then? Let's see what the poor amnesia girl's got!"

"Poor amnesia girl…" Ruby grumbled to herself while raising Crescent Rose and clutching the weapon tightly in both hands. "I'll show you a thing or two about forgetting things…"

"Yang, hold on a second," Blake suddenly said, standing up and heading over to Ruby while Yang willingly dropped her hands to her sides.

"Ruby," Blake said, lowering her voice when she was standing right in front of Ruby. "Maybe I can give you a few pointers."

"Are you gonna tell her how _you_ distract me?" Yang called over to them before chuckling. Ruby wrinkled her nose at Blake, whose cheeks grew a little pinker.

"Ok, now I _really_ want you to beat her," Blake muttered to herself. "But Ruby, you know your sister as well as anyone, so you know what her...character flaws...are."

"Uh…" Ruby searched her brain for an answer and came up empty. She'd never really thought of Yang as having any flaws. Yang was her big sister! She was the best at everything!

"She can be cocky, right?" Blake led her. "And overconfident. But, most of all - impatient. She brings all those things into her fighting style."

Ruby was starting to catch on now. Yes, Yang could be a little impatient every once in a while…which was ironic considering how late she was all the time.

"If you show an opening she's going to take it every time, but she's so good that she can normally correct even if it's a trap. You have to play to her impatience - and if you can get her to tunnel in on you, like she does when in a close fist fight, she might not catch what's happening around her. Or behind her, if you know what I mean."

Nodding her head along with Blake's advice, Ruby finally grinned. That actually made sense! If she could get Yang to focus on her, maybe she could use her new glove to her advantage like she'd done with Blake. It sounded like a much better plan than the one she'd had - which was no plan at all.

"Thanks, Blake!" she said, earning a smile in return before Blake walked back to the porch.

"Oh, and she has terrible balance," Blake added over her shoulder, loud enough that Yang could overhear.

"Hey!" Yang yelped in fake hurt. "You said I was getting better!"

Smirking, Blake resumed her seat on the porch step and Ruby turned back to Yang for round two.

"Ready?"

Situating Crescent Rose in front of her, Ruby nodded only when she was positive she was absolutely ready. Yang raised her fists again and waited, but this time Ruby didn't strike first. And apparently she shouldn't have done that the first time because Yang only waited a couple seconds before bursting forward, fists flying.

Defend - that's what Ruby had to do, just like when fighting Blake. Except Yang's punches were _hard_. Each one that hit Crescent Rose sent Ruby skidding a few inches backwards on the grass even when she hadn't moved her feet.

Jab, kick, kick, jab, jab. Each blow clanged off of Crescent Rose and reverberated through her arms.

Testing one of Blake's theories, Ruby lowered her weapon a fraction of an inch from where it should be. A fist immediately flew towards the gap in her defenses and would have caught her if she hadn't used her semblance to flash away.

Yup - Yang was pretty dang good at finding weak spots.

Pressing forward, Yang continued to throw blows in that smooth, seamless manner she'd always had. There was no tiring and no slowing down - only moving forward, spinning and kicking and punching and repeating again and again.

Blocking some blows, dodging others with her semblance, Ruby was careful about attacking and building Yang's energy, but eventually she needed to do _something_ other than defend. It was only a matter of time before she made a mistake, or her arms broke from the force of the blows.

Ducking a jab, she saw what looked like an opening. There wasn't time to be certain, so she took the opportunity immediately. While a kick rocketed towards her she flew straight into it, sliding the handle of Crescent Rose underneath Yang's ankle and continuing forward while lifting up - forcing Yang's leg straight up into the air and knocking her off her feet. The second her back hit the dirt Yang rolled out of the way of Ruby's follow up attack and flipped easily back to her feet while moving away.

Ruby responded by launching Crescent Rose through the air, putting all of her weight into throwing the blade with as much velocity as she could muster.

Yang's answer to the heavy weapon bolting towards her neck was to grab it out of the air and swing it into the ground with enough force to make the entire yard tremor.

Immediately dropping her hands, Ruby looked at her weapon - now stuck halfway into the compacted dirt in their backyard. The last thing she'd expected Yang to do was _catch_ Crescent Rose out of midair. Who was crazy enough to try to catch a six foot spinning blade out of the air?

Oh right. Her big sister.

The results were the same as the last time they'd sparred together - Yang was winning handily. Back then, the outcome was really discouraging. But that was then.

"Can we go again?" Ruby asked. Smiling at the request, Yang nodded.

Walking over to retrieve Crescent Rose, Ruby put her gloved hand on the handle and tried to look all cool by pulling it out with just one hand. But the weapon didn't budge.

Ok, so Yang had used her superhuman strength to slam Crescent Rose in the ground. There was no shame in having to use both hands…

Grasping the handle with two hands, Ruby pulled upwards and, again, nothing happened. Planting her feet on either side of the weapon, she tried to use her knees to provide some form of leverage.

"Need some help?" Yang teased after watching Ruby struggle for a few moments.

"No - I -" When Ruby gave one more big tug, this time putting her whole back into it, Crescent Rose finally dislodged and sent her stumbling backwards onto her butt. "Got it!" she called out cheerfully while jumping to her feet and meeting Yang in the middle of the yard.

Ok, this time she needed to do something crazier. Clearly being fast wasn't enough. She needed to outcrazy Yang.

"Ready?"

Again, Ruby nodded. This time Yang didn't wait more than a second before charging forward - the same as before, only this time the combinations were all mixed up. The relentless attacks clanged off of Crescent Rose time and again, but thankfully none of them found their way to Ruby. If even _one_ blow made it through, she was a goner.

Blocking was one thing, but she couldn't find any sort of weakness in Yang's defenses. Or maybe Yang had no defense, but was so good at keeping up continuous attacks that it didn't matter.

Outcrazy crazy. What was the craziest thing Ruby could do in the middle of a fight?

Dashing several steps backward when a fist came pummeling towards her jaw, she dropped Crescent Rose to the grass in favor of charging straight at Yang for a fist fight.

Fighting Yang Xiao Long with no weapon. Now _that_ was crazy.

And stupid. Ruby wasn't strong enough to deal any damage with any blow she might be able to land, so trying to attack was pointless. Instead, she needed to rapidly dodge while sledgehammers flew at her face like they were being shot from cannons at close range.

But Blake had been right - Yang was tunneling in now that they were so close together. When Ruby shuffled a few inches to the side, Yang turned with her without hesitation. When Ruby shuffled back, again Yang shifted with her.

Very quickly, Ruby was able to pivot Yang so that her back was to Crescent Rose, but before anything could be done with the weapon one of the sledgehammers landed in Ruby's gut, sending her toppling backwards. Ignoring her sudden lack of oxygen or an intact rib cage, Ruby rolled up to her feet and immediately blasted back to her sister. She couldn't give Yang any time to think about what had happened with Crescent Rose.

Swinging her left fist towards Yang's ribs, Ruby realized too late that her sister was allowing the blow to land. Yang let out a soft 'oomph' before clamping her arm around Ruby's wrist and holding tight. Panicking, Ruby punched out with her right hand, but Yang moved her head out of the way before jabbing with her own free hand and following it up with a knee towards Ruby's gut. She tried to jump backwards away from the blows while Yang still held onto her arm, preventing her from escaping.

They were fist fighting with just one hand now - Yang refusing to drop Ruby's gloved hand. Rose petals were scattering across the yard as Ruby was forced to use her semblance in short bursts to escape her sister's attacks. The fight was going to end soon - she could feel it. There was absolutely no way she could get her arm out of Yang's fortified grip.

But first - in the midst of dodging two more attacks that would likely send her back to the hospital if they landed - Ruby tapped her fingers quickly together without Yang noticing, calling Crescent Rose their way.

Under normal circumstances, Ruby would've caught her weapon, but because Yang was still latched onto her wrist she had no opportunity to do so. Instead, Crescent Rose slammed into the back of Yang's shoulder and knocked her forward in surprise. That brief moment of shock was more than enough time for Ruby to stretch and grab the weapon with her free hand as it fell towards the ground.

As the giant scythe unfolded, Yang finally dropped Ruby's wrist in order to jump away from the blade, but Ruby swung with her semblance and caught Yang by the ankle before she got far enough away. It was enough to send Yang toppling to the ground, but her butt had hardly touched a blade of grass before one hand hit the dirt to propel her back to her feet.

The moment Yang straightened herself up, Ruby was flying back around from behind - dragging Crescent Rose along the ground to remove Yang's balance once again. This time Ruby leapt into the air as soon as Yang's feet left the ground - swinging her weapon above her head in preparation to deal the final blow before Yang could get up.

Just as planned, Yang didn't have enough time to escape - her back hit the grass and Ruby was already on top of her. But Crescent Rose jarred to a stop a foot from Yang's chest, the end of the blade clasped tightly in her right hand.

Surprised, Ruby tried to pull the weapon back, but it wouldn't budge. She tried again with more effort, but still nothing.

It was at that moment that Yang grinned and swept her legs underneath Ruby's. The move seamlessly propelled Yang back to her feet while sending Ruby crashing to the ground. Holding onto Crescent Rose all the while, Yang forced the handle of the weapon into Ruby's chest the second her back hit the ground and pinned her down.

Unarmed and unable to move, Ruby took shallow breaths to avoid pressing into Crescent Rose any more than necessary. Thankfully, the pressure quickly disappeared when Yang tossed the weapon off to the side.

"Jeez," she huffed, her breaths heavy as she pulled Ruby to her feet and patted her on the back. "That was really fun!"

Brushing blades of grass from her clothes, Ruby peered at her sister like she was crazy. "It was?"

"Yeah! That was so awesome!"

Forget losing - Yang's upbeat energy was infectious, filling Ruby with giddiness in a heartbeat.

"Really? You think so?"

"You're so _good_ , Ruby!" Yang replied with a big smile, grabbing both of Ruby's shoulders and shaking her gently in congratulations. "Let's do that again. Like seriously. I had no idea Crescent Rose was going to hit me from behind - that was so cool!"

Looking towards the house, Ruby grinned at Blake - who smiled before standing and heading inside now that the show was over. When Yang shook Ruby again, she turned back with a big grin still set in place.

"I can't believe that made such a big difference!" Yang commented, gesturing to the glove on Ruby's hand. "Have you thought of a name yet? I think it's definitely ready for a name."

"Uh, no - not yet. I can't think of anything good! Other than 'Glove.'" Briefly wrinkling her nose at the terrible name, Ruby smiled when Yang laughed.

"How about - oh, I got it! How about 'Thorn?'"

"'Thorn?'"

"Yeah, you know, cuz every rose has its thorns," Yang replied with a grin.

Holding up her hand to look at the glove, Ruby mulled the name over in her mind. Thorn. It went with Crescent Rose, if she was looking for a theme. And it sounded pretty cool. Plus, it was good to remember that even something really pretty, like a rose, still had its flaws.

Curling her reinforced fingers into a fist, she grinned.

"I like it! Kinda reminds us that we're not perfect, huh?"

Smiling in return, Yang held up her right fist and bumped Ruby's with a metallic clunk that hurt a lot less than normal.

"Least of all us," Yang replied while wrapping one arm around Ruby's shoulders and turning them towards the house. Tapping out the code once again, Ruby held out her left hand and snatched Crescent Rose right as the weapon hit her gloved fingertips. The action made Yang chuckle and shake her head.

"So freaking cool…"

Maybe Ruby had lost again, but that had been a lot better than before! It almost felt like, with some more practice, she might actually be able to give Yang a run for her money. It was such an encouraging feeling that was growing in her right now - like maybe she could actually do this huntress thing after all.

Sparring with Yang was a great first test of Ruby's abilities. The next one would come tomorrow when a completely unknown fighter came over…

"Uh...if I lose tomorrow...I can still go on the hunt, right?" Ruby asked. The question made Yang pause for several seconds - long enough for Ruby to start worrying - before nodding.

"Of course. You've earned the right to go."

The reply made Ruby breathe a sigh of relief. She'd worked so long and hard to get to this point...it would really suck to have it taken away when she was _this close_ to finally going!

"Besides," Yang continued with a grin. "You're not gonna lose."

"You think I can win?"

Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulder gently.

"Ruby, I _know_ you can win," she answered, releasing Ruby when they stepped onto the porch and smacking her hands together once in excitement. "Oh man, Weiss is _not_ gonna know what hit her. You're gonna knock the smug smile right off her face!"

"Yangggg," Ruby whined, turning to give her sister a stern look. "You said you'd be nicer."

"I said I'd _try_ to be nicer. Big difference."

The reply made Ruby purse her lips and frown.

"Aw, come on, Ruby," Yang added with a lax smile. "So Weiss and I aren't friends anymore. We don't have to be, right?"

Normally Ruby wouldn't be so stubborn with her sister, but...it was Weiss. And Weiss seemed like she could use some _more_ friends right now, not less.

"But something bad happened to her -"

"Something bad happened to _you,_ " Yang replied with a frown, but Ruby waved the statement away.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because! I had you and Blake to help me get better." When Yang stared in confusion, Ruby tried to explain her thoughts more clearly. "I just...can't help but get this feeling that she's been all alone for a while…"

The thought made her inexplicably sad - enough so that even Yang's brow furrowed in concern. But what she was saying was true. She knew it was. She'd had Yang to talk to. When she was scared, she always knew Yang was there to protect her. When she was sad, Yang was there to hold her. That was the kind of relationship they'd always had and hopefully always would. Sure, maybe Yang could be a little overbearing sometimes and definitely overprotective, but when Ruby had been so hurt and felt so small and vulnerable that type of protectiveness was just what she needed. And if Yang ever became a little too much, she'd had Blake to turn to.

A support system - that's what they were. They encouraged her, consoled her, and sympathized with her. It was hard to imagine how difficult her recovery would have been if she'd been on her own. Would she have had the strength to get out of the bed in the morning? Would she have been able to rebuild herself from scratch, or would she have sunk into the past and always wished for what had been?

"Do you know what happened? To Weiss?" she finally asked. The question made Yang's eyes fall to the ground in a way that immediately made Ruby's heart fall as well.

"She...lost someone very close to her."

"Oh…"

That was kind of what Ruby expected, while also hoping it wouldn't be true. Poor Weiss…to lose someone and not even have anyone to talk to about it...no wonder she thought memories were difficult to bear. Ruby could remember how hard it was when her mom died, but - again - she'd had Yang there and they'd helped each other through.

Having that person who you could tell _anything_ to...that made all the difference in the world.

"I want to help her," Ruby concluded out loud. The desire had been growing and growing over the past few days, but she finally felt confident enough to speak it out loud. She wanted to help because Weiss was important. For whatever reason, Weiss was important in the same way that Yang and Blake were important.

The comment made Yang sigh and drop any hint of a joke.

It wasn't often that Ruby got to see her sister's serious side, but Yang did have one. It was this side of Yang who was giving Ruby a small smile right now, laying one warm hand on her shoulder and giving it a little squeeze.

"I knew you would," Yang said earnestly. "Blake and I have talked about it, you know. Weiss has changed a lot in the last...since I've last seen her." Yang shook her head sadly, temporarily lost in her own thoughts before turning back to Ruby. "We thought you'd be the best person to help Weiss regain a bit of her former self."

"Why me?"

"Because you make her happy," Yang answered succinctly. "And she trusts you enough to talk to you. That could be just what she needs."

It _did_ seem like Weiss trusted Ruby. At least, that's how it felt last night with Myrtenaster and talking in the garage. She wanted to gain even more of Weiss' trust, but they hadn't known each other for very long. Really, it might make more sense for Yang to regain Weiss' trust than for Ruby to start from scratch.

"Wouldn't you help too though?" she asked. "You two have been friends longer."

"I don't think I can help her, Ruby," Yang answered, her eyes growing sad at the thought. "Because when she looks at me...I think she sees the mistake she made. I know that's what I see when I look at her." Yang shook her head before giving Ruby a hopeful smile. "But you...you're a fresh start for her, you know? Sometimes a fresh start is just what someone needs."

Biting her lip at the reply, Ruby finally nodded her head and smiled.

"I'll help her," she said resolutely, feeling a warmth spread through her chest when Yang smiled back.

"You already are."

It felt like Ruby had just agreed to take on some huge challenge, but she couldn't be more determined to see it through. Even if it took the rest of her life, she was willing to spend every day trying to catch a glimpse of the Weiss she'd seen while messing around with Myrtenaster - the witty, playful, lively version of Weiss with the laugh of an angel.

 _Everyone_ deserved to be happy, no matter what their past was. Hopefully, Ruby could get Weiss to believe that.

"You're right though," Yang added, turning away and pulling off her gauntlets. "I'll try to take it a little easier on her. It's just...really hard. But I'll try to be better."

"Thank you," Ruby said while following her sister back into the house, their practice unofficially ended.

"You know I'll do anything for you." Reaching out, Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby's neck and pulled her close to ruffle her hair. "Cuz I love you!"

"Aww Yang! Come on!" Ruby whined, pushing at her sister's arm to no avail.

"Nnnope! You're my little sister so I get to say it as much as I want!"

Ever since they were little, Yang tried to embarrass Ruby like this. It was something she pretended to be annoyed with, but in reality she loved it. And she'd willingly tell anyone who would listen how much she loved her big sister.

"Let me go!" she huffed while shoving again at her sister's arm.

"I'll let go when you say it back!" Yang's grip tightened to where Ruby knew she'd never get out unless she caved to Yang's demands, but she struggled for a few more seconds anyway. Finally, she sighed in fake exasperation and stopped squirming.

"I love you too, Yang."

"There!" Yang exclaimed while removing the vice grip. "Was that so hard?"

"Yes," Ruby teased, sticking out her tongue for good measure before dancing to the side to escape the arm that shot towards her.

"You're so difficult sometimes, you know that?" Tossing her gauntlets on the table inside the back door, Yang stood taller when she thought of something. "Oh - I forgot to mention the penalty for losing today…"

Dropping Crescent Rose on top of Ember Celica before turning back to her sister, Ruby's eyes widened when Yang held up both hands and wiggled her fingers menacingly. Backing slowly away, Ruby bumped into the wall while Yang crept towards her.

The look on her face said that there would be no mercy tonight. And that was a bad thing because Ruby normally depended on mercy in order to survive.

"Yang…" she said, hoping her voice would serve as a deterrent.

"Ruby..." Yang replied with an evil grin.

"Blake!" Ruby yelled as she turned and ran for the kitchen like her life depended on it, smiling when she heard Yang laughing and chasing her down the hallway.

Yang and Blake were her family. They were her support and her strength. Hopefully Ruby could be the same for Weiss.


	17. Chapter 17

**Have I mentioned that one of my worst fears is posting the wrong chapter here because P/atreon is one week ahead? I'm so paranoid every time!**

 **In other news, some exciting things are on the horizon! I'll be participating in Bumblebee Week (April 30-May 6) and White Rose Week (June 10-16). I'm writing little stories for each week (~40k words) so expect to see those pop up as their own titles here on .**

* * *

 _Believe in yourself._

 _I believe in you._

 _For eternity._

The notes were craftily hidden in different sections of Myrtenaster, sketched into the welding so neatly and precisely that it was a wonder how Ruby had even done it. The last one sat right underneath Weiss' thumb...every time she'd picked up Myrtenaster she touched it. Every time she'd gone out into the forest by herself, searching for forgiveness, she'd been holding onto the promise they'd made to each other.

Discovering the hidden words of affection had been like receiving messages from the past - giving her parts of Ruby she never knew existed. She'd always wondered why Ruby looked so tickled whenever returning Myrtenaster. Now she understood that it wasn't the excellent craftsmanship Ruby had been grinning about, but rather the string of messages that were being left where she knew Weiss might never find them.

And she never had. Ironically, the person who brought them to Weiss' attention had been Ruby herself. Without Ruby's keen eye, Weiss could have spent the rest of her life not knowing that those little words of love and encouragement were etched into a piece of her livelihood.

The past version of Ruby would be miffed that her future self had given away such a clever and well-executed ploy. It wasn't often Weiss had the wool pulled over her eyes, after all.

That night, after she'd gotten home from Ruby's, she'd spent several hours poring over Myrtenaster with a magnifying glass, scouring each and every millimeter of the weapon for more hidden words. In the end, she'd been left with a heart overflowing with love and longing for the one who'd left them there - for the girl who had loved Weiss _so much_ that she wouldn't even blink at the thought of spending hours perfecting microscopic details Weiss might never notice.

Now that she'd seen them, she couldn't unsee them. She couldn't unsee the extent of how much Ruby had cared. She'd probably spent hours learning how to etch letters that small, hunched over her workbench and hiding away the evidence so no one would know what she was trying to do. All for Weiss.

What she wouldn't give for the chance to show Ruby exactly how much the messages meant to her…that the time and effort was appreciated. Not only appreciated, but...they made Weiss fall in love with Ruby even more…

That opportunity was gone though. Lost with the rest of Ruby's memories of Beacon.

 _I believe in you._

Ruby had always believed in Weiss. No matter what obstacles fell in their path, no matter what foes they faced, no matter what trials they were forced to overcome, Ruby believed so wholly and so fully in her that Weiss couldn't help but to believe in herself as well. For the entirety of her life, she'd _pretended_ that she was capable of anything, but when Ruby looked at her...she actually believed it.

What would Ruby think if she could see Weiss now? What would she think if she could see how broken and shattered Weiss had become?

As unlikely as it might seem, Ruby wouldn't be disappointed. She would still believe that Weiss could find a way to turn her life around for the better. She'd believe that this valley of despair was only temporary, and that Weiss would soon find her way out of it. That's just how Ruby was - she was Weiss' number one fan, no matter what.

Weiss missed that. She missed having a staunch supporter. She missed having an admirer. She missed having that person - that one person who would stand beside her no matter what. Sure, Winter would always do her best to help Weiss, but there was something more profound about having someone outside of family believe so fully in her capabilities.

These days, she considered herself lucky that Ruby seemed to regard her merely as a friend. It was painful how far their relationship had fallen...where friendship was a step in a positive direction…

However, even though they were only friends (if that), the more time they spent together the more difficult it became for Weiss to differentiate between past and present. As they grew more comfortable, she subconsciously slipped back into habits that hadn't been broken over time. In the end, this meant that she was treating this version of Ruby with far more familiarity than might be commonly expected of two people who had 'just met.'

For example, when the two of them were in garage together, Weiss all but admitted to her personal demons even though she was raised to do exactly the opposite. Schnees weren't supposed to show weaknesses of any shape or form to _anyone_. Weaknesses would be exploited by enemies at the first possible opportunity. They would be used to undermine, ransom, and blackmail. They were to be hidden and never shown the light of day.

With such emphasis placed upon perpetually maintaining a strong exterior, Weiss had nearly forgotten what it felt like to be honest. It was...nice. It was soothing, even, to put into words some of the torments that had run amok through her mind for so long...to admit to another person that her past haunted her, and to find acceptance and compassion rather than a label of 'crazy' or 'weak.'

Regardless of the positive outcome, it hadn't been her intention to confide in Ruby so soon. She couldn't even say that she'd _ever_ planned on allowing Ruby a glimpse into her fractured mind. Of course, the turn of events couldn't be classified as surprising given the actors. It was the same scenario as what happened at Beacon...where Weiss had had absolutely no intention of being candid or transparent with her partner.

That had been her intention, but there was something in Ruby's personality that overflowed with understanding and openness. Ruby could hear and not judge - she could be forgiving of the most unfathomable things - and she had no desire for power or control over another person. The only opportunities she searched for were the ones to help others.

Of all the potential partners Weiss could have had at Beacon, Ruby was the one who seemed specially crafted to be exactly what Weiss needed. A friend...a confidante...Weiss' secrets were always safe with Ruby.

It was impossible to describe how much she'd missed the feeling of being...vulnerable...with another person - allowing them to share in the thoughts she normally kept bottled up inside, lowering her barriers, trusting that goodness did exist…

And look what had stemmed out of that vulnerability - a solution. A solution to one of Weiss' problems, that was actually quite brilliant. The feeling of Ruby's hand clasped around her own was _real_ \- tangible - something she could easily latch onto when the sands of reality and sanity began to shift and sway.

The two of them had grown closer, she felt, from that one moment of openness. And then there was the event that had happened next...when Ruby had wanted to feel Weiss' aura.

The memory raised goosebumps along her arms while a rush of excitement coursed through her veins. Did Ruby have any idea what she was doing? Or had she asked off the top of her head? Had it been a complete whim?

Regardless of the intention, Weiss was fairly certain that Ruby was unaware that she was sending her own aura to Weiss in return. It had been delayed, but it was still there - like tendrils of mist that swirled and spun in an endless breeze. It had wrapped around Weiss' heart and curled through her body with a quiet assurance of strength.

The experience had been familiar in a way that made her heart ache just thinking about it. With everything that had happened the past year, with everything that had changed between Weiss and her teammates, Ruby's aura had remained exactly the same - almost blissfully so. It had called out more of Weiss' own aura. Brightened it. Reinforced it. And then intertwined as one.

In that moment, which had ended entirely too soon, it almost felt as if...maybe...Ruby's aura could remember Weiss, even when Ruby did not.

It was wishful thinking - a flaw Weiss had grown all too dependent upon recently. It wasn't beneficial to _wish_ for something. Hard work was the only way to accomplish anything that could possibly be wished for.

Sighing when her father's voice thundered through her head, Weiss put the car in park and turned off the engine. Dear old Dad was the last person she needed to be drawing wisdom from these days…

Opening the door, she grabbed Myrtenaster from the passenger seat before heading up the sidewalk with her trusty weapon in tow. Normally, there was a boost of confidence granted by wearing her combat attire with Myrtenaster attached to her side - prepared for a fight - but neither provided any assurance today.

There had been thousands of battles before today, but none had seemed as monumentally important as the one she was currently walking towards. She had to win. She had to keep Ruby from going into the forest again. Whether Ruby was ready or not, Weiss couldn't dare put her in harm's way.

If she lost...well, she'd figure out the answer to that question if it came to pass.

The small house belonging to three of the most important people in Weiss' world was silent and unyielding of any secrets, unwilling to clue her in as to what she could expect today. However, the uncertainty waiting beyond the door hadn't swayed her at all - actually, she'd been so anxious to see Ruby that she'd arrived early.

With the front door looming, Weiss stepped onto the porch and sucked in a deep breath to steady her burgeoning nerves. Raising one hand to knock, she jumped back in surprise when the door opened with her hand still suspended in midair.

"Hey Weiss. Come on in," Blake said with a smile, gesturing Weiss through the door.

"Thank you," Weiss murmured politely while stepping past Blake and into the entryway.

The home was growing more comfortable with each visit she made, but there were still small quirks to the space that made her feel out of place. The fourth seat at the dining table - which, in another lifetime, would have been hers - seemed to be used for accumulating mail instead of eating, as evidenced by the large pile of miscellaneous envelopes always lying there. By the front door were several coat hooks - only three, each currently holding a jacket that Weiss could name the owner of by color.

Both were reminders that she didn't belong - that their lives didn't include a fourth person and, in a sense, didn't have space for one. What had she expected though...that they'd been waiting for her to come back?

She'd given up her seat at the table...and no one was going to simply hand it back to her. It was her job to earn it back.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted from the garage before racing into the house and skidding to a stop. "Weiss!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up in happiness when their gazes met. Weiss blushed when she noticed Ruby's eyes rove quickly over her, mentally cataloging her outfit.

"I love the combat skirt!" Ruby announced gleefully.

"I'm glad you still do," Weiss replied with a relieved smile. It was incredible how easily Ruby could put Weiss at ease with nothing more than a cheerful grin and joyous proclamation.

"What do you need?" Yang called out, walking into the living room from the hallway. "Oh, hey Weiss," she said with a quick nod before turning to Ruby. "What's up?"

"I need your hairdryer!" Ruby said before sending Weiss an apologetic expression. "Hold on, Weiss. Can you give me like...ten minutes? I need to make sure the paint is set!"

"Paint?" Weiss asked nothing but air - Ruby having already disappeared down the hallway with Yang following close behind.

"She just finished adding a design to her glove," Blake explained from beside Weiss. "It's...really good."

"And she's setting the paint with a hairdryer," Weiss concluded, connecting the dots while Ruby shot past as nothing more than a red blur. Several seconds behind her sister, Yang trudged back into the kitchen at a much more leisurely pace before opening several cupboards in search of something.

Blake watched Yang intently for a couple of seconds before turning back to Weiss. Nodding her head pointedly in Yang's direction, she said, "I'll be outside," before walking away. But she didn't leave the kitchen without giving Weiss one more look and mouthing 'just try' before leaving the two of them alone.

Apparently, Blake was giving them a few minutes alone to talk. She could have been a _little_ more obvious about it though...

Glancing at Yang's back, Weiss opened her mouth only to close it several seconds later when nothing came out. Oblivious to Weiss' existence, Yang pulled out an empty glass and was now looking for something in the fridge. Making a soft "aha" when she found whatever it was, she set her glass down on the counter while her other hand left the fridge holding a bottle of what looked like orange juice.

As Yang calmly poured a full glass, Weiss seriously considered making a beeline for the garage to check on Ruby. But her feet, which always seemed so willing to run away, remained stubbornly planted to the floor inside the front door.

Just try. Make an attempt to say something - anything really. That was the only way they would ever get past this...whatever this was...

"Yang, could we talk for a second?"

It was a simple question, but the way her hands trembled belied how incredibly anxious the topic made her. She needed to do this though. There had been enough silence between them.

For a brief moment, it looked like Yang wanted to walk away rather than stay and chat, but she seemed to think better of it and turned to face Weiss.

"Sure, what's up?" Yang asked while she leaned against the edge of the kitchen table, resting one hand on the back of a chair while the other held her glass.

"I just...wanted to tell you…"

Weiss' heart was racing wildly while the words stumbled out. Her mind was freezing up, uncertain about the proper way to go about this. It didn't help that Yang was watching closely - as if searching for any lack of sincerity. The gaze was unsettling enough that Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself.

Just be honest. This was Yang - they used to be best friends.

"I wanted to apologize," Weiss finally managed to say out loud as the right words lined themselves up for her. "When...when Ruby got hurt -"

The partial sentence made Yang shake her head and straighten up.

"Please stop - I don't want to hear it."

"What?" Weiss asked, confused by the request more than anything else. Maybe naively, she'd believed that the most difficult part about this conversation would be putting her feelings out in the open - not convincing Yang to hear them.

"But...we need to talk about this," she said a little more forcefully.

"No, we really don't," Yang replied to match.

"So you don't even want to hear -"

"No, I _don't_ , Weiss," Yang cut her off again, slamming the glass down on the table with so much force it was a miracle it didn't shatter. Surprised by the unfavorable response, Weiss stared for a few moments - until Yang finally heaved a big sigh and ran a hand through her hair.

"I just...I can't do this with you right now," she explained softly, her tone almost regretful. "I'm sorry. I told Ruby that I'd try, but...it's too soon. Let's just...focus on Ruby. She's what's most important."

At a loss for words, the only thing Weiss could think to do was nod her head. What could she possibly say to that? If Yang refused to hear an apology, there was no purpose in Weiss attempting to give one.

"Right…" she whispered when Yang walked away - their talk over before it had even begun.

Watching Yang retreat down the hallway towards the backyard, the weight of Weiss' past actions made her heart ache in a torturous way.

Yang didn't even want to talk about it. Yang - who was practically famous for the phrase, 'Hey, let's talk this out' - didn't want to talk it out. The heart of their team. The one who'd brought them close together, despite their differences.

Choices weren't made in a vacuum. If only they were...then Weiss could have spared everyone else the repercussions of her own inadequacies…

Ruby didn't remember who Weiss was. Ruby didn't know that she should be angry or upset with the past. No...it was Yang who'd been hurt the most by Weiss leaving. It was Yang who'd been abandoned, deserted...betrayed. And it was Yang who'd been forced to shoulder all of those emotions while also nursing Ruby back to full health.

Covering her eyes with one hand, Weiss took several deep breaths while attempting to still the emotions roiling in her chest.

She'd never wanted to hurt Yang. Yang deserved better than that. After everything she'd gone through with her own family...Yang deserved better than to have another person leave her. Yet Weiss had done it anyway...

 _Focus on Ruby_...Weiss told herself when tears stung at her eyes. Focus on Ruby…that was the most Weiss could do right now. Trying to talk to Yang, trying to mend some of those broken feelings, that would have to come later. As much as Weiss would love for them to be friends again, she'd also be the first to admit that that wasn't a luxury she deserved at this time. Maybe ever.

But at least she could say she'd tried. It hadn't gone well, but it had been better than she'd expected. On a scale of one to ten - with ten being hugs, cheerful tears, and total forgiveness while one meant the end of Weiss' existence - that had probably been about a six.

Yang had mentioned promising Ruby that she would 'try' though - what did that mean? Had Ruby said something? Or lobbied to Yang on Weiss' behalf?

Shaking her head, Weiss decided that she should take Yang's advice and focus on Ruby instead of the hundreds of other thoughts swirling through her head. Heading to the garage to see if Ruby was finished, she stepped through the door right as Ruby turned off the hairdryer and set it to one side.

"It's done!" Ruby proclaimed, sending Weiss a pleased grin. "Wanna see?"

"Of course."

Ruby's presence instantly softened the edge left behind by the previous conversation. The closer Weiss drew to the workbench and Ruby's side, the more her thoughts shifted to bring the bubbly brunette to the forefront of her mind.

It was only when Ruby willingly handed over the finished glove that Weiss diverted some attention away from comforting silver eyes and down to the object placed in her hands.

Other than Blake commenting that it looked good, Weiss had had no preconceived notion of what to expect, but it certainly wasn't anything like what she saw in front of her.

First, for being made entirely of different metals, the contraption was astonishingly lightweight. Second, her eyes were immediately drawn to the intricate lines of black thorns curving in and around the back of the glove and the fingers. As usual, Ruby's artistic prowess left the design understated - not cluttered by any means, but still a sharp juxtaposition to the red plating.

It was a vintage Ruby creation. Take any mechanical object and Ruby could upgrade it in a hundred ways without ever changing the chassis. The craftsmanship would always be top notch. The functionality would be irontight. Add in her general artistic ability...and anything could be turned into a work of art.

"Thorns?" Weiss asked while turning the glove over and examining the palm. "Oh, because every rose has its thorns."

"Yang came up with it!" Ruby explained. "She suggested I name him 'Thorn' and I loved it! I've been working on the design since yesterday." Ruby gestured at the top of the workbench, which was covered in scattered pieces of paper that had practice drawings all over them.

Flipping the glove over again, Weiss took one last look before handing it carefully back to Ruby.

"It's beautiful," she said before correcting herself. "I mean, _he's_ beautiful. Are you sure it's a boy? He's an awfully pretty boy."

Ruby giggled at the words.

"It just feels right, you know?" she quipped, looking over her finished product with a proud smile. Weiss couldn't help but to smile in return, thankful that she'd arrived early - if only so that she hadn't missed this moment.

It was gone as quickly as it had appeared though, replaced with inquisitive silver eyes aimed her way.

"Now that Thorn's ready - are _you_ ready?" Ruby asked with a big grin.

Like a rush of cold water being thrown in her face, Weiss suddenly remembered why she'd come over here to begin with. It was so effortless to be around Ruby that it was easy to forget that, these days, she actually needed a purpose to be here. And today...today was important.

"I'm ready," she answered with a small nod. "Are you?"

"You know it!" Ruby replied, waving for Weiss to follow her out of the garage and towards the backyard.

If Ruby was nervous, there was no way to tell from the normal hop in her step. Meanwhile, Weiss' heartbeat was speeding up with every passing second, the enormity of the situation finally catching up to her.

This was her opportunity to prove that Ruby wasn't ready to go back into the forest. If she could win - decisively and quickly - it would cast doubt on Yang's conclusion that Ruby was prepared for another hunt. She had to win. She couldn't let Ruby go back into the forest. She couldn't risk losing Ruby again. Not when they'd been so fortunate the first time…

It was possible that Weiss could win - she'd done it before. Once. And she might have cheated that time too. Well…she'd most certainly granted herself an advantage. She just needed to replicate those results, but without using Ruby's distractibility and rampant sweet tooth against her.

However, seeing as how Ruby was still climbing back from catastrophic injuries, Weiss should be more physically capable in battle. And, since Ruby had lost Beacon's training, Weiss should hold a hefty advantage in terms of technical skill.

Both of these advantages were in theory only, as she had no way of knowing how far Ruby had progressed in the past year without experiencing it firsthand.

Grabbing Crescent Rose off of the little table beside the door, Ruby bounded outside and politely held the door open for Weiss to follow. As soon as Weiss stepped onto the porch, Blake cast a softly encouraging smile her direction - likely having already been updated on the failed attempt at a conversation with Yang.

The expression quickly disappeared when Yang leaned over and whispered something in Blake's ear. When Blake smiled and nodded, Yang turned towards them.

"Ruby! Over here! Let's get this heavyweight fight off the ground!"

Giving Weiss one last grin, Ruby ran after her sister as Blake walked over to the porch to join Weiss. Yang gave Weiss a pleased smirk before speaking intently to Ruby, making rapid hand gestures while Ruby nodded in turn.

"What're they talking about?" Weiss asked, watching the two sisters closely. "It looks like Yang is about to sic a rabid Beowolf on me."

"Yang's telling Ruby about your semblance," Blake explained without even looking towards the yard. When Weiss opened her mouth to protest, Blake continued. "You already know Ruby's, so it's only fair if she gets to know yours too."

Weiss snapped her jaw shut at the reply. It _would_ be more equitable if they were both informed of each other's semblances...although equity wasn't exactly what she was searching for at the moment.

"And Ruby thinks I'm telling you about her semblance too."

Weiss scoffed at the notion that Blake would explain Ruby's semblance to her. She and Ruby had been partners for years. They'd practiced together likely a million times. If anyone should be explaining how Ruby's semblance worked, or how Ruby liked to fight, it should be Weiss.

At least that's what she initially thought, but the expression on Blake's face suggested that she was wrong to make that assumption.

"Don't be overconfident," Blake chided her. "Remember, Weiss - this isn't the same Ruby."

She understood that this wasn't the same Ruby. If it was, they wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with. But at the same time...when it came to fighting styles, there must be tendencies Ruby had kept from prior to Beacon, right? The patterns and habits solidified in early training couldn't have been so easily broken.

"Same weapon, same semblance," Weiss pointed out.

"And that's probably where the similarities end," Blake replied. "Seriously, Weiss. Don't expect this to be easy. Her only two weaknesses are that she's rusty and her left hand isn't at full strength. Now that she's fixed one of those things, you're basically hoping she makes a mistake due to lack of practice."

"Really?"

"Really. Remember how she went through that phase where she was trying all those crazy new moves? Well, she's there right now. Every fight she tries something new. Some of it doesn't work out, but if it does and she gets the timing down, the fight is over."

The explanation gave Weiss reason to pause. She remembered that time period all too well - every day she'd watched Ruby try a new attack that seemed both implausible and impossible. Some epically failed, but others succeeded in making Ruby the talk of legend around the school.

It had been around that time when Weiss realized there would never be a day when she was empirically better than Ruby, but that _together_ they could be the best partners Beacon had ever seen.

"She's really that good?" she asked, glancing towards Ruby one more time.

" _Yes_ ," Blake answered emphatically. "She doesn't even realize how good she is. She felt like she barely beat me, when I was struggling to hold my ground the entire time. And she was maybe two moves away from beating Yang yesterday."

When Weiss stared in disbelief, Blake nodded to confirm those words.

That wasn't great news. Knowing that Blake's assessments were bluntly honest and accurate, and knowing that Ruby had nearly beaten Yang, Weiss could practically watch as her chances of winning this matchup were cut at least in half.

Separating from Ruby, Yang clapped her hands in excitement while walking towards the house.

"It's go time!" she announced, sliding one arm around Blake's waist and tugging her away from Weiss.

"Oh, and watch the glove," Blake quickly added before allowing Yang to drag her to the porch step.

Watch the glove - better than Blake - almost as good as Yang. Turning to Ruby, Weiss' mind was swimming in conflict and concern. How could it be possible? It was only a year ago that the doctors were worried that Ruby might never fully recover - how had she made it this far?

Noticing that Ruby was still wearing a track jacket and pair of sweats, Weiss was about to ask if she should be wear something more appropriate when Ruby quickly unzipped her jacket and pulled down her sweats to reveal an entire combat outfit hidden underneath. The action took no more than a couple of seconds, but Weiss' cheeks instantly warmed with a blush.

If that was a distraction technique Yang had suggested...well played.

Swallowing, Weiss pulled Myrtenaster from her side and extended the weapon in front of her.

"Are you ready?" she asked, watching closely while Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose. The mere sight of the weapon in all its shimmering, deadly glory sent chills down Weiss' spine.

The last time she'd seen Crescent Rose...

"Yup!" Ruby replied - the response effectively beginning their battle and forcing Weiss to focus on the here and now.

Nothing happened for a stretch of time that seemed to last forever, but was likely no more than a couple seconds. The two of them stared each other down, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Adrenaline was pumping through Weiss' veins while tension coiled her muscles in preparation.

Right when Weiss considered attacking first, Ruby burst forward - the unexpected speed alarming enough that Weiss threw up a wall of ice in an effort to slow the attack down. The barrier succeeded in forcing Ruby to dodge around in order to approach Weiss from the side, giving her an extra half second to raise Myrtenaster and deflect the first blow.

The moment Crescent Rose clanged off of Myrtenaster and swung back around for a second attack, Weiss' heart began pounding as it hadn't in a very long time.

Now...she would begrudgingly admit that she hadn't been taking the best care of herself recently. Lack of eating and proper sleep had dropped a few too many pounds from her traditionally slender frame, which she hadn't bothered trying to regain. On top of that, despite her ill-advised forays deep into the forests alone, she hadn't been consistently training. At least, not with the regularity needed to maintain peak form.

Comparatively, even though Ruby had started at a severe disadvantage, she'd clearly been training hard and often. Maybe even obsessively. The end result - she was in far better shape than Weiss. Faster, more nimble, with more stamina, energy, and, most importantly, strength.

Ruby was swinging Crescent Rose _hard_. Each blocked blow sent reverberations running through Weiss' arms and made Myrtenaster hum in complaint. With this degree of force being leveled behind each attack, Weiss wouldn't be able to survive a prolonged battle - not that drawing out a battle against Ruby was a good idea.

Four quick swipes came Weiss' way before Ruby jumped backwards to put some space between them. Sensing the temporary reprieve, Weiss instantly whipped Myrtenaster down and managed to capture Ruby's ankle in a block of ice. In the split second Ruby looked stunned by the attack, Weiss shot forward and sliced towards Ruby's side. The attack was easily deflected before Ruby blasted the ice into shards and shot away.

At least Weiss _thought_ that Ruby was moving away, but the next second a cloud of petals appeared in her face, followed closely by a scythe whizzing towards her neck. A glyph pulled her backwards just in time, but Ruby followed Weiss' retreat without pause.

Ruby was still as quick as she used to be, but also elusive - similar to Blake. Every time Weiss attempted to attack a miniscule weak point, Ruby would fluidly slip away and reappear somewhere else.

After deflecting another series of lightning-quick attacks, Weiss succeeded in locking Myrtenaster against Crescent Rose. The two weapons scraped loudly together, but she used the temporary leverage to shove Ruby's weapon off to the side. It took nearly all of her strength to do so, but with Crescent Rose out of position she thought she had an opportunity to regroup -

Instead, she ducked and stumbled backwards when a fist hurtled towards her face.

The sound of Crescent Rose folding up filled her with momentary confusion...until she saw Ruby swinging the weapon towards her, locked tightly in Thorn's grasp. Weiss managed to hit Crescent Rose with a blast of ice at the last second, but Ruby's other fist was already flying her way. Followed by a knee jab aimed towards her ribs.

Too late, Weiss realized that she was locked in a fist fight with a miniature version of Yang, only with Ruby's mechanically gloved hand swinging Crescent Rose like a makeshift club.

Trying to land a glyph to give herself some breathing room, Weiss immediately aborted that effort when Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals and reappeared right where Weiss had planned to move. A second glyph resulted in the same result - Ruby reacting too quickly and effectively preventing any means of escape.

Close quarters was no place for Myrtenaster, who depended upon perfect form and precision, but that's what Ruby was forcing upon Weiss at the moment. With so little room to operate, she couldn't properly raise the weapon to fully protect herself and, from the way the attacks were coming faster and faster, Ruby had already figured this out.

The onslaught was nothing more than rapid blurs of motion that Weiss somehow reacted to out of instinct. She couldn't allow this to continue any longer - her margin for error was miniscule and shrinking by the second.

Channeling all of her available energy, Weiss pushed a series of glyphs in every direction simultaneously. One of them successfully caught Ruby and pushed her several paces away, but before Weiss could consider a follow up attack, she threw herself to the ground when Crescent Rose came hurtling towards her neck. About to stand up, she was immediately forced to hit the dirt again, barely catching the whistle in the air as the weapon flew back in the opposite direction.

There wasn't time to think about the fact that Ruby just used Crescent Rose as a boomerang before she caught the weapon and was on top of Weiss with more attacks, forcing Weiss to dodge and deflect on repeat.

Most fighters developed a rhythm - a cadence to their attacks when they settled into battle. Yang was a one-two-three, one-two-three with alternating jabs to keep opponents on their toes. Blake was a onetwo, onetwo, onetwo with quick slices. One area where Weiss liked to believe she excelled was in determining a fighter's cadence and finding a way to interrupt it. If she could interrupt someone's rhythm, she could put them on their back foot and earn herself a serious advantage.

Ruby had no rhythm. Each round of punches and slashes were varied tempos. Onetwothree, one-two, one-two, onetwo, one-two-three. The fluctuating attacks made it impossible to predict when the next one was coming, much less figure out from which direction. And the longer Ruby maintained the unpatterned flurry, the more Weiss had to conclude that it was intentional.

Whether Ruby was fully thinking about it or not, she was fighting in a way that made it impossible to anticipate her actions. No wonder Blake and Yang had struggled...

Three more blows shook Weiss' arms when they landed on Myrtenaster before Ruby dashed backwards and disappeared into a cloud of petals. Seeing the red swarm rush towards her, Weiss quickly raised both hands in front of her, with Myrtenaster pointing towards the ground.

"I concede," she said softly.

At the last possible moment, the petals altered course and slip-screened around her, missing her by mere millimeters. As the wind brushed past, she took a deep breath and savored the smell of roses - her heart beating faster as the sensation took her back to happier times.

When Weiss followed the path of the petals, Ruby materialized standing behind her. This was one of the moments Weiss had fallen in love with - that brief instant when Ruby was part girl, part roses.

This version of Ruby was wearing a sly grin - the one that said she was pleased with the results of the battle and with Weiss' role in it. Her hair was slightly shorter, her wrist unmarred, and her hands free of mechanical contraptions.

It was her - as pristine a memory as Weiss could ever conjure.

Her heart raced as she stared at the illusion in front of her. She wished that she could freeze this moment, with loving silver eyes locked onto her and a swirl of petals in the air. Every fiber in her being wanted to reach out and touch Ruby...to hold her and smell her hair. She wanted to feel Ruby's strong arms wrap around her and feel that sense of security that had been so foreign at first, but then so necessary in her life.

The sight drew her forward, but she immediately froze when the motion put Ruby on alert. One blink and the memory was gone, replaced by a more inquisitive, more mature Ruby.

"You concede?"

Dropping her hands to her sides, Weiss nodded and attempted a smile. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and not entirely from the whirlwind sprint of a battle Ruby had just put her through. Finding her mouth had also gone dry, she swallowed before responding.

"I know when I'm outmatched."

Hearing the forfeit, Yang let out a loud "whoop!" of success and jumped off the porch to nearly tackle her sister. Grinning happily, Ruby let Yang lift her right off the ground and practically toss her up in the air in congratulations.

At one point in her past, Weiss would have been furious at being beaten, and beaten soundly at that. She'd grown up as the best - shining the brightest and receiving all the accolades that came with those successes.

Ruby changed all of that. Ruby taught her that it was possible to be the best, yet not be boastful. To shine the brightest, yet not be proud. Ruby received the accolades with humility and modesty and never, ever took any amount of credit entirely for herself.

Ruby was someone worthy of losing to - and worthy of looking up to. Which was why Weiss always wondered what Ruby saw in her...

Still breathing heavily from exertion, Weiss glanced at Blake while she walked calmly over. The look on Blake's face said it all, but she had to say it out loud anyway.

"Told you."

Nodding, Weiss turned to Ruby - hoping for another glimpse of what had been. Her skin still tingled from the vision, craving Ruby's presence at a level she hadn't allowed herself to feel in some time. Finding instead an elated girl being tossed in the air by her big sister, Weiss smiled and turned back to Blake.

"You were right. She's good."

That didn't mean Weiss was willing to say that Ruby was ready for a hunt. She would probably _never_ be willing to say that….but Ruby wouldn't be a sitting duck out there.

Weiss' left hand gripped Myrtenaster firmly in order to prevent her fingers from visibly shaking while she processed what just happened. No matter how good Ruby was, it terrified her to think about going back into the forest. She'd already lost the Ruby she knew...how could she bare risking the one she was just growing to know? In Weiss' mind, Ruby was far too precious to place in harm's way. Not again.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed.

"It's going to be ok," Blake murmured so that no one would overhear. "We'll all be there. We'll keep an eye on her."

"We were all there the last time…" Weiss whispered back. It felt like a clamp was tightening around her heart as she realized that it didn't matter if she was ready for this or not. The decision had been made...and she hadn't been strong enough to prove that it was wrong.

Seeing Ruby running towards them then, Weiss forced a smile. The next second Ruby wrapped both arms around Weiss' waist and lifted her up in the air to swing her around in a circle.

"Weiss, you're so good!" Ruby gushed. "Like, really really good! Can we fight again sometime? Please? It's so awesome to have a new person to train with!"

Never wanting Ruby to set her back down, Weiss numbly nodded in response - feeling like her breath had just been stolen away. Unfortunately, Ruby set Weiss gently on the ground the next moment, allowing her hands to linger on Weiss' waist for a few seconds to ensure she'd regained her balance.

"You caught my leg in ice! That was so cool! Literally! And - the opposite way of literally. I can't remember the word right now because that was so awesome!"

Weiss couldn't help but to smile at Ruby's infectious delight, her heart swelling with emotion at the sight.

Weiss had expected Ruby to be...damaged...in some way. She'd expected the costs of injury to have slowed Ruby down, made her less agile, less powerful, less skillful. She'd expected Ruby to be...broken. She'd believed there would be evidence of what happened beyond the jagged line running across Ruby's wrist - like some sort of invisible scar left on Ruby's fighting capability.

She couldn't have been more wrong. Ruby was happy and healthy...and fighting against her had revealed an additional layer of vitality invisible to the naked eye.

Ruby was, unbeknownst to herself, a huntress.

It was an unbelievable sight to behold. In order to accomplish such a feat, months of intense rehabilitation must have been followed by months of intense training. It would have been an exhaustive effort with a singular end goal in mind. How had Ruby found the perseverance to put herself through so much in such a short period of time?

But Ruby had done it. She was, in a sense, recovered.

The realization was terrifying - because Weiss knew what lay in wait outside the walls of the city. She knew what training and practice could never prepare them for. She remembered the fear, the panic, the struggle to survive. She remembered the agony -

"We can do this again, right?" Ruby asked, cutting into Weiss' thoughts and waiting expectantly for an answer.

Fighting against the anxiety swelling in her chest, Weiss focused instead on Ruby's eyes - which were cheerful and excited at the prospect of the two of them battling again. It was this thought that Weiss grabbed onto as she gave a slight nod and a smile that grew with Ruby's.

"Of course," she answered. "Whenever you want."

"Yes! So excited!" Ruby lifted one fist into the air in excitement before Yang unexpectedly scooped her up from behind. Lifting Ruby up onto her shoulders, Yang carried her sister triumphantly towards the house.

"Told you you could do it!" Yang said happily while Ruby ducked to avoid hitting her head on the awning. "We're totally getting ice cream to celebrate!"

"Yes!" Ruby cheered, making Weiss smile as they disappeared inside.

"Do you want to come with us?"

When Weiss looked over, Blake nodded towards the house. "Do you want to come with us for ice cream?" she asked again, as if the first time had been unclear.

Considering the invitation, Weiss' brow furrowed. Did she want to spend more time with Ruby? Yes, undoubtedly. But...this didn't feel like her celebration to partake in. It hadn't been her efforts which had brought Ruby to this point - it had been Yang's, and Blake's, and Ruby's own resolve. This was their victory to share.

"Maybe next time," Weiss answered with a forced smile. "I don't want to impose."

The briefest bit of sadness flickered through Blake's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. Instead of dwelling upon the rejection, she nodded and motioned towards the house.

"I'll walk you out then."

Nodding, Weiss followed Blake inside, both of them silent as they passed through the doorway. The silence allowed Weiss to acknowledge the panic still present in her chest - the panic trying to escape and force her into hasty decisions dictated by fear.

Taking a deep breath, she focused instead on the sound of movement coming from the living room ahead of them. She hoped that it was Ruby, because seeing Ruby might help quell the emotion, but when they walked into the room she found that it was Yang rustling for shoes in the hall closet.

"Blake, you're coming with us, right?" Yang asked with an easy grin, holding two different types of shoes in one hand.

"Of course."

Satisfied with the answer, Yang's gaze was about to move back to the closet before stopping on Weiss instead.

"And, uh, if you want to come too, Weiss -"

On another day, in a better mindset, Weiss would be encouraged by the invitation. But today...knowing herself, and knowing the feeling that was clamping around her heart, she knew she needed to leave.

"Thank you, but I should go," Weiss replied. A mixture of relief and regret played through Yang's eyes, but she shrugged and turned her full attention back to the closet.

"Your call - thanks for coming over."

With Yang busying herself looking for shoes, Weiss' eyes swept the house in search of the person she really wanted to say goodbye to. But Ruby was either in the garage or in her room getting ready -

"Ruby?" Blake called out into the house. "Weiss is leaving now."

Not even a second later, Ruby appeared in a flurry of petals.

"You're leaving?" she asked in an almost-whine. "But...don't you want to get ice cream? I thought we'd get to hang out more!"

The admission made Weiss feel even worse, but the vice was now tightening around her lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe as something stronger than panic gripped her.

She wanted to spend more time with Ruby, but she couldn't stay. Not right now. She needed to be...away. Somewhere she could come to terms with this new reality.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go," she replied while backing towards the door - retreating from silver eyes that could easily convince her to stay. "Eat some for me?"

For a brief second, Ruby actually looked disappointed, but then she shook her head and pulled out a blinding grin.

"I will! And I'll see you soon, right? For the hunt?"

The word sent waves of shock through Weiss' chest, but she tried to smile regardless - for Ruby's sake.

"Absolutely."

Weiss' hand had just touched the doorknob when Ruby raced forward and pulled her into a hug that caught her completely off guard. It was fleeting, and before Weiss could begin to appreciate Ruby's warmth, Ruby moved away - smiling down at Weiss with sparkling eyes.

"Promise you'll be there?" Ruby asked.

Somehow, Ruby knew that Weiss was faltering. Somehow, Ruby sensed that fissures were becoming crevices in Weiss' resolve.

And, somehow, Ruby knew exactly what to say to get Weiss to stay.

"I...I promise."

Happy with the response, Ruby nodded and took a step back. "Then we'll see you soon!"

Turning from Ruby's grin to Blake's hidden smile to Yang's content almost-grin, Weiss felt tears appear out of nowhere. Hastily swinging open the door, she nodded once in goodbye before hurrying away from the house and seeking respite in her ride home.

She'd had a singular objective coming into today, and she'd failed. She'd lost. Ruby would be going on a hunt. Weiss would be going with them, but that did little to combat the growing feeling of dread in her chest.

Anything could go wrong. _Everything_ could go wrong. What would she do if...if…

She was going to have to figure this out...because she couldn't break another promise to Ruby. Not when she'd already broken the most important one.

Her heart was still pounding abnormally fast, but as she neared her temporary residence her mind was finally able to move past the feeling of impending doom and consider what else she'd learned from their practice.

Ruby had extended an open invitation to train together. Assuming everything went fine on the hunt, Weiss would gladly spar with Ruby time and time again - even though this version of Ruby might be more difficult than the previous one. If anything, with more practice Ruby could be even _better_ than she'd been before. If it seemed like that should be impossible, that's because it likely was. But to Weiss it made complete sense.

Ruby Rose was special in a way that had never been seen before. She made impossible possible. She made inconceivable conceivable. She could lose her memories, she could suffer horrific injuries, and she could come back better than before. That's just who Ruby was.

It was Weiss' responsibility to keep someone so precious out of harm's way - something she hadn't been able to do the last time. She couldn't fail again.

She couldn't fail Ruby again.


	18. Chapter 18

**One - you guys are the best. I'm so happy that everyone's enjoying this story so much. The response has been great, and I really can't thank you all enough!**

 **I mentioned last week, but Bumblebee Week starts Monday. I'll be posting a new story starting _tomorrow_ (because I have an intro chapter) for that. You can follow the tumblr blog bmblbweek. Those on my p/atreon will be getting the entire story tomorrow (lucky ducks!), but it will be posted every day for the next week for everyone else. **

**That's all I have for now - oh! Lies. Next chapter of RCR will go up tomorrow too :)**

* * *

Today was the day. Today was _the_ day. After months and months of training and getting beaten up by Blake and Yang, followed by more training and more beatdowns, the day was _finally_ here!

Hunt day! Or, more accurately, hunt night!

It felt like trampolines had been glued to her feet - that's how pumped up she was about today. Tonight. Time didn't matter - it was _right now_!

"Jeez Ruby - are you excited or what?" Yang asked with a chuckle, walking hand-in-hand with Blake as they trailed Ruby across the airship landing pad.

"Just a little bit!" she exclaimed, jumping once to prove her point.

Was she excited? How could she _not_ be excited? They were about to go on an official hunt! Into the forest - beyond the city walls. There'd be no protection out there except what they could provide themselves with their weapons. There'd be beasts of Grimm in all shapes and sizes. They could be attacked, ambushed, trapped - the possibilities were practically endless. And she couldn't be more thrilled about it!

Of course, a small part of her was nervous. She wanted to know whether or not this was what she was meant to do, and if she could even do it. Could she be a huntress? Could she keep herself alive?

Most importantly, she didn't want to let anyone down - especially not Yang or Blake, who'd both put so much time and energy into helping her train. That's why she was going to try extra hard today. No matter what they were up against, she was going to do everything to 110% of her ability.

Right now they were walking - a little too slowly - across the landing pad towards an airship that was already waiting for them. The engines were fired up - the propellers twirling faster than the eye could see while a loud whirrrrr-ing noise filled the air.

"And Weiss is already here!" Ruby shouted over the sound, pointing out the girl waiting by the lowered gate to the ship.

Jeez, Weiss was always super timely - unlike Yang, who seemed to dawdle just because.

"Well I'll be…" Yang muttered to herself, but Ruby didn't pay her sister any attention. Instead, she raced over to greet their fourth person on this journey.

On the way, she nearly tripped and fell over her own feet, but managed to catch herself at the last second - just in time to pull Weiss into a big hug that caught her by surprise. But, after initially stiffening, Weiss relaxed and awkwardly patted one hand on Ruby's back.

It was like she didn't know how to hug properly!

Determined to set a good example, Ruby squeezed Weiss closer and nearly lifted her feet off of the ground. Enthusiastic - it was an enthusiastic hug!

Was it weird that Ruby really liked hugging Weiss? They'd only done it like twice now, but each time had been really nice. It felt like Weiss fit well in Ruby's arms - although that was really strange to think about. But it was true! Ruby's arms wrapped around Weiss justttt right.

Well, not _just_ right. It actually felt like Weiss was a little small - like she should be a bit bigger and _that_ would be perfect. Like, a little less skinny?

Come to think of it, Weiss did look awfully thin...she definitely needed more ice cream. But who didn't?

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed after releasing Weiss from the expert level hug. "Are you excited?"

Even though Weiss smiled, she didn't look half as enthusiastic as Ruby currently felt.

"'Excited' might be stretching the truth a bit…"

"But you're ready?"

Nodding, Weiss lightly tapped her fingers against Myrtenaster, the weapon hanging at her side and glinting under the lights of the airship station. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The answer made Ruby beam - but what wasn't making her happy today? The birds, the sun, the dumb emergency flares Yang had shoved into Ruby's pockets 'just in case' - everything was awesome. But there was something _extra_ awesome about Weiss being here - something that made this day even better than Ruby dreamed it would be. Not only was she going on a hunt with Yang and Blake, but Weiss was coming with them. Four was a better number than three. Plus, now Ruby wouldn't the third wheel - she and Weiss would be third wheels together!

"Surprised to see you here," Yang commented as she and Blake finally caught up.

"I made a promise," Weiss replied, only briefly meeting Yang's gaze before turning to Ruby with a small smile. "And I wanted to keep it."

Ruby beamed at the response, which made her heart feel all happy and warm. Weiss _had_ promised to be here, and Ruby hadn't doubted her for a second.

Quickly growing tired of waiting outside, Ruby looked at her sister for permission to run up the super-inviting ramp. Receiving a nod, she grinned and raced into the ship with Blake, Yang, and Weiss in tow. Her boots clanked loudly up the metal walkway before the incline suddenly flattened out into a rather empty cargo hold. There was a row of seats on each wall of the ship, but other than that there wasn't much besides a pilot sitting up front checking panels filled with rows and rows of lights and switches.

What would happen if he pushed all the buttons at once? Was that a thing? Would the ship overheat and spontaneously combust? Would it shoot into the air and teleport to another dimension?

Picking one side of the ship - the left side, because left was best - Ruby stowed Crescent Rose underneath one of the seats and sat down. Yang and Blake sat across from her, while Weiss picked the seat right next to her. The excellent choice of chair positioning made her grin.

It wasn't like Weiss _had_ to sit there, but the fact that she still did made Ruby feel like the cool kid in class. And Ruby had hardly ever (actually, never) been the cool kid in class.

"Team RWBY - ready to go?"

"Team Ruby-Schnee!" Ruby corrected the pilot before giggling at the name. Yang smiled across at her before turning towards the cockpit.

"We're set - whenever you're ready," her sister instructed the man. Yang then motioned for Ruby to put on her seat belt, which she obediently did. Safety first!

"Ruby Schnee…" Weiss mumbled to herself while mimicking Ruby's actions.

"Oh yeah! Didn't want to leave you out of the team name!"

"Thank you. It...has a nice ring to it."

The two of them shared smiles - although, Weiss' looked more sad than happy. Ruby was going to ask about it, but suddenly her stomach dropped when the ship lifted into the air and shot away from the station.

They were on their way!

"Are you nervous?" Blake directed across the cabin to Weiss. Curious, Ruby glanced over just as Weiss' knee stopped bouncing up and down.

"Just...anxious, I guess."

"Don't worry!" Ruby quipped from Weiss' side. "Blake and Yang are the best in the business! You'll be safe with them!"

Grinning at the compliment, Yang sent Ruby a wink and thumbs up. But Weiss looked less than relieved - her knee started bouncing again, but the motion was far less noticeable this time.

"Ok, Ruby - listen to me," Yang said, leaning forward so Ruby could hear her clearly. "You never know what might be out there, but you engage Beowolves _only_. Anything bigger, you wait for Blake and I to hit it first. You got it?"

Ruby nodded her head, but Yang raised an eyebrow - letting Ruby know that a verbal response was expected.

"Got it!" Ruby acknowledged with another nod. Satisfied with the answer, Yang leaned back in her seat.

"Good, then why don't you brief us on the mission."

"What?"

"Tell us what we're supposed to do," Yang elaborated with a wave of her hand. "You read the docs, right?"

"Oh, right," Ruby replied. This was a test to see how prepared she was. Fortunately, unlike every other class she'd ever taken in school, she'd actually studied for this!

"Uh, well, basically there's an abandoned research facility in the forest that they think contains important information. We're supposed to check the chairman's office on the 10th floor. We'll be dropped off on the roof, take the stairwell down five flights of stairs, find his office and find the information. We only know it was called Project Scorpio, so anything we find with that name we should take with us or scan if we have time. We'll have ten minutes and then the ship will meet us back on the rooftop for pick up."

"And if something goes wrong?"

 _This_ was why she'd memorized all the maps that came with the hunt information!

The ship wasn't going to stick around waiting for them - it was going to return to the nearest station at the edge of Vale and come back for them later. This would minimize the pilot's risk of running into Nevermores.

If they couldn't make it to the rooftop in ten minutes -

"It'll take five minutes to get another ship to us," Ruby answered. The first pilot wouldn't wait or turn around - a second airship would be dispatched for them instead. Safety, safety, safety! These airships weren't exactly outfitted for battle - they were more like big, floating ducks waiting for a Grimm to pluck them out of the sky.

"What if we can't make it back to the roof?" Yang asked.

At first, Ruby wanted to ask _why_ they wouldn't be able to make it to the roof when they'd just used the stairs to get into the building. If they'd run down five flights of stairs, couldn't they just as easily run back up them?

But they were planning for the worst case scenario - it was like a fun game of 'what could go horribly wrong?' What if the top of the building was suddenly lopped off by an incredibly big Grimm? Or a random ship carrying wet cement had a spill that filled the staircase? Or an asteroid hit the building and somehow only destroyed the top five floors while leaving everything else intact?

"The secondary pick up is the fountain!" Ruby answered confidently.

"And the third?"

The question made her brow furrow as she looked over the map image in her mind.

"I didn't see a third evac point…"

"Exactly," Yang responded with a nod. "If the second pick up doesn't work, we're hoofing it back to Vale. Which will suck in the dark. But why are we going at night?"

This was an easy one.

"Two reasons," Ruby began. "One, the facility is in range of a Nevermore 'nesting' site, so flying this close during the day would be pretty dangerous. Two, Grimm tend to be more spread out at night, but clumped up during the day. No one knows why, but ya, that's what they do."

When Yang looked impressed by the quick answer, Ruby grinned with success. For one of her birthdays, Yang had given her a book on different species of Grimm and, for the longest time, it had been her favorite thing to read. It definitely hadn't made her any more popular at school, but she'd learned a boatload of valuable information! Like anatomical breakdowns on the species of Grimm that had been researched, theories on their existence, known battle tactics, and their general behavioral tendencies. Basically, all super useful stuff. That's why she'd committed it to memory!

"Why would they have a facility out here? Why not set up downtown like all the other companies?"

Apparently, Yang had a lot of questions about this hunt - but these were all questions Ruby should be asking, not the other way around!

Still, she tried to think of an answer. Downtown would obviously be way nicer, and safer, and...well, Ruby had never heard of _any_ companies set up outside the walls. That was basically suicide. So why would anyone do it? Because they were insane?

"I...they didn't say…"

"I know, I'm asking you," Yang replied with a grin. "Why out here?"

Biting her lip, Ruby struggled to come up with an explanation. She'd memorized every bit of information on the pages Yang had given her, but nowhere did it mentioned the purpose for a facility in the first place. Glancing at Weiss, who motioned that it was up to Ruby to answer, Ruby gave up and shook her head.

"I dunno...the view?" she joked, gesturing out one of the small windows at the expanse of treetops that were hardly visible in the darkness. Yang laughed at the answer, but it was Blake who spoke next.

"They were doing research on Grimm."

"On Grimm?" Ruby gasped in surprise. "For what?"

"They were trying to find an easier way to destroy Grimm," Blake explained. "Preferably by isolating a weakness that could be exploited chemically. They thought they could safeguard the facility...obviously that was an incorrect assumption."

"That's why it couldn't be built in Vale," Yang added. "Can you imagine how upset people would be if they learned Grimm were being trucked into the city? Research or not - no one wants Grimm inside the walls."

The explanation made a lot of sense, even though it was a crazy idea to build a research facility in the forest. There were exactly _zero_ instances of that working out as planned.

Before Yang could ask another question, Weiss gently nudged Ruby's shoulder and nodded towards the window. When Ruby leaned closer, she could see the vague outlines of moonlit buildings coming into view.

The research facility was actually a massive compound surrounded by thick walls that had once been sturdy, but were now broken and crumbling. From the look of it, something quite large had torn the concrete apart and created gaping holes in the outer defenses. When Ruby pointed out one of the holes through the window, Weiss nodded.

"Not so secure anymore…" she whispered.

It had probably once been a pretty nice place. There were smaller buildings - that might have been built for housing - sitting along wide roads that had street signs and everything. A courtyard connected everything together with a tall fountain in the very center - their emergency exit if things went sideways. Their current destination was set off to one side of the compound - a tall building that towered out of the darkness. The moon glinted off the glass covering the outside, which was also broken in many places.

No wonder this place had been overrun - Nevermores could spot this spire from miles away. Defending it would cost a fortune and require a private army. Even with walls that were twice as high and an entire fleet of Atlesians, Ruby could pick out glaring weaknesses in the darkness.

This entire place had been a dumb idea.

"The workers lived here?" she asked, turning towards her sister and Blake. After Blake nodded, Ruby looked out of the window as the ship headed towards the tall building. If the workers had lived here when the place was overrun…

"Did they make it out?" she asked.

"Some. Not all."

Biting her lip at Blake's honest answer, Ruby nodded in understanding. It would be difficult to mass evacuate a facility like this because there weren't many obvious pick up points besides the fountain. And, even though they weren't _far_ from the edge of Vale, it would still take a few minutes to get enough airships out here. A few minutes when Grimm were bursting through the walls was a few minutes too many...

Her stomach dropped again as the ship began to climb out of the relative safety of the treeline towards the top of the building. Her nerves, which had been pretty mellow up to this point, suddenly came roaring into existence.

This was it - they were here.

It was only seconds later that they reached altitude and the door of the transport dropped open - the wind rushing in making her eyes instantly water. From their current position, they were looking down at the rooftop of a building, which was only just illuminated by the soft moonlight.

"Looks like there's a big pack of 'wolves about a mile from here!" the pilot shouted to them over the loud droning of the engines spilling through the open doorway. "Keep it quiet and they should move on."

"Got it!" Yang shouted back to the man before giving him a thumbs up.

Grabbing onto her necklace, Ruby briefly closed her eyes and wished that this would go well - that they would all make it out of here safe and sound. There wasn't time to do anything more because Yang was already unbuckling her seatbelt - Blake and Weiss following suit. Ruby quickly followed their lead before jumping up and grabbing Crescent Rose from under her seat.

"Here we go!" Yang yelled over the engines before motioning Ruby to follow.

If she had butterflies, they were instantly replaced by pure adrenaline when she watched her sister run forward and jump out of the transport like it was nothing. After staring into the darkness for a second in awe of her sister's fearlessness, Ruby was gently nudged forward. Looking over one shoulder, she caught Blake's eyes - and Blake nodded for Ruby to jump out next.

This was the moment she'd been training for. This was the moment she'd spent so many painful hours training for. She hadn't thought it would start by jumping out of the back of an airship, but this just made it _even better_.

Shooting a quick grin at Weiss - who was looking a little apprehensive at what was to come - Ruby took a deep breath and jogged several steps forward. Picking up speed and refusing to hesitate or overthink the action, she coiled her muscles and leapt out into the night sky.

For one amazing moment, it felt like she might hang there forever - floating on the breeze like a leaf or a snowflake - but gravity swiftly grabbed hold of her and dropped her to the gravel-covered rooftop like a rock. Keeping her feet underneath her, she landed in a crouch that was decently quiet considering she hadn't thought to practice jumping out of an airship before.

Straightening up, she spotted Yang by the entrance to the building, but before heading over looked up as Weiss dropped to the rooftop beside her. Weiss landed in a crouch, just like Ruby, before standing up and lightly shaking her long ponytail. Blake appeared immediately after, her own arrival dead quiet compared to Ruby's.

The airship pulled away and quickly disappeared - leaving them alone in nearly complete darkness on the rooftop, their only light coming from the partially hidden moon in the sky. Without the sound of the engines, it was suddenly quiet - almost alarmingly so.

"Orient yourself," Blake said quietly. Caught off guard by the instruction, Ruby spun around and tried to figure out where she was. The moon was behind her, so that meant…

"North?" she asked, pointing in a direction and looking to Blake for confirmation. With a quick nod, Blake led them over to Yang at the doorway.

"You're doing great," Weiss whispered to Ruby as they jogged after Blake. The words made Ruby really happy, but when she glanced over she noticed that Weiss had her hands clenched into tight fists - almost as if she was trying to keep them from trembling.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, but Weiss waved the question off and motioned for Ruby to focus on Yang as they regrouped at the door.

"Ten minutes," Yang whispered, tapping the communication device strapped around her wrist where a countdown was displayed in bright green numbers. "Gotta hurry."

Taking a deep breath and nodding to Blake, Yang pulled the door open with a quick, loud pop of the lock giving way.

The silence left behind by the airship, which had felt deafening at first, seemed to have disappeared. As her ears adjusted, Ruby could hear more and more sounds - and it sounded like the entire forest was moving around them. It was nothing like the sleepy, nighttime streets of Vale. There, the crickets and trees were quiet as whispers. Out here - far from the city - the leaves were rustling so loudly it was hard to believe the noise was the result of the wind alone. But when Ruby turned towards the trees, she found nothing but darkened shapes swaying in the steady breeze.

This was the sound of a nighttime forest, alive in its own way.

Feeling a warm hand press her forward, she followed Blake through the doorway with Yang on her heels and Weiss bringing up the rear.

If it was hard to see outside, then entering the stairwell was like becoming completely blind. There wasn't even a glimmer of moonlight to provide guidance, so Ruby had no idea how Blake was running down the steps without falling on her face. Thankfully, Yang lit up a light when they were all inside, shining it over Ruby's shoulders so she could follow Blake down flights and flights of stairs. Their shadows bounced eerily off the walls, moving in fast, disjointed motions, while there was no sound except for their feet hitting concrete, their clothes rustling, and their breathing growing a little heavier.

After reading the hunt information, Ruby felt like she had a good grasp on where they were headed, but Blake was moving so confidently it was as if she'd actually been here before. Had Blake done more research on the schematics of the building? Like found an actual blueprint of the offices? Because that was a good idea that Ruby totally should've thought of.

The four of them raced down the staircases before coming to a door with a large number ten painted beside it. The tenth floor. Hardly breaking stride, Blake quickly pried the door open and shot inside with Ruby directly behind, her eyes scanning the room as they entered.

The entire floor was open - a gigantic space with desks and chairs cluttered across much of it. Along one wall ran a set of what looked like miniature laboratories - complete with fancy-looking machines tucked behind thick glass walls and heavy security doors. Some of the labs had been completely destroyed by some unknown force - the walls pulverized and machines laying in ruin.

Squeezing through a set of desks on the path Blake was setting for them, Ruby tried to ignore the dark stains on the walls and floors whenever Yang's flashlight jumped over them. Those were probably just the result of some science experiment, or a trick the darkness was playing on her, not...anything else…

They were making a straight line from the staircase to the opposite side of the building, where she could make out a set of offices. As they jogged in that direction, she made sure to sweep her eyes around the extent of the room looking for potential hazards. If there was any benefit to being in a building made of glass, it was that they had 360 degrees of visibility - which was worth basically nothing since the only thing she could see outside was black night and dark trees.

Approaching the row of square offices, Blake broke into a run to check the nameplates hanging outside the relatively intact glass rooms.

"This is it," she said, tapping the name and slipping inside one of the offices.

"Ruby, watch the door," Yang directed while Blake and Weiss both set to work rapidly opening and closing the filing cabinets lining the office walls in search of what they were after. Weiss was holding her own light now and using it to scan the folders, while Blake operated in the darkness without a second thought. Yang glanced at her watch for the time before heading over to the windows and looking in all directions for any danger.

Watch the door. It wasn't the most glamorous of duties, but Ruby was still going to give it her all! Although, she probably didn't need to stand _right_ in front of the door since the entire office was basically a fish bowl, but she did as she'd been told while watching her partners out of the corner of her eye. Not that she could see much in the low light. If only she had Blake's vision...

"I found the year," Weiss announced quietly and Blake rushed over to that cabinet to help Weiss search.

The fact that they were whispering only made the darkness creepier. Like, if they were speaking in normal voices this would feel more like they were just robbing some building - that wouldn't be too scary. Whispering was what you did when you were hiding from something, but what were they hiding from?

Ruby's gaze drifted away from the office and back to the lifeless floor they'd just run across. Whatever had happened here couldn't have been good. From the outlines of toppled chairs and desks turned on their sides, it looked like everyone had left in a very big hurry.

While looking at a desk that was completely upside down, her eyes caught a glimpse of something that was out of place - at least, strange enough to catch her attention. It was nothing more than a glint near the staircase they'd used to get here, but it was definitely _something_.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to see what it was. With her pathetic human eyes she saw absolutely nothing, but her gut told her to keep looking - so did the prickling feeling of the hairs rising on her arms and back of her neck.

"Yang," she whispered towards her sister, not breaking her gaze away from the doorway. When her sister didn't respond, she glanced away for a split second to find Yang was helping the other two search through files.

"Yang!" she hissed louder, finally getting Yang's attention. "I think there's something -"

Turning back to the doorway, Ruby froze and her blood ran cold when she realized what the glint had been.

Claws.

Now visible above those giant claws were glowing red eyes - lots and lots of glowing red eyes.

"We have company," she whispered, unfolding Crescent Rose and staring at the Grimm collecting at the far end of the building. From this distance, she could just barely make out their hulking black outlines as they crawled out of the stairwell. More of them were creeping along the ground and pulling themselves over the destroyed desks, their claws scraping and scratching against the wood. All were approaching slowly, hesitantly, waiting to grow in number before attacking.

Heart pounding, her body was preparing itself for battle - muscles tensing and breaths slowing to a controlled, steady pace. She squeezed Thorn around Crescent Rose, feeling the glove tightly clutch her weapon before releasing.

She was ready, but they weren't being attacked yet. They still had time. They could still complete the mission.

"It has to be here somewhere!" Blake whispered in exasperation. "If it's not here, then -"

Blake didn't finish that thought before Ruby heard a muffled groan. "There's a safe under the desk. It has to be in here."

"Can you open it?" Yang asked, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Ruby and only briefly turning back to the office behind them.

"With enough time, maybe!" Blake whispered back, her voice slightly muted from under the desk.

"I could just pull the door off its hinges?" Yang offered, flexing her fingers in preparation.

"Sweetie - as much as I admire your ability to rip apart pieces of metal, sometimes people have already taken that into consideration!"

Glancing at Ruby, Yang gave a small shrug before turning her full attention to the approaching Grimm. She was tense, but also at ease - although Ruby couldn't tell if that was just for her sake or not.

"What do we do?" she asked, watching the red eyes inch closer and closer. Raising her fists, Yang calmly checked the shotgun shells in her gauntlets.

"What do you think we should do?"

Right now _really_ didn't seem like the time for a teaching moment, but it didn't seem like the time to complain either.

As the intensity increased, Ruby's brain sped through scenarios at warp speed. She needed to relax and recall what she'd studied - examine the terrain, locate exits, evaluate the enemy, make a decision.

"We...wait for them to make the first move. Try to funnel them through the door to slow them down and give Blake more time."

While Ruby spoke, Yang barely tilted her chin in acceptance of the plan. Ruby watched the Grimm and imagined the room behind them with the other two huntresses still searching. That was a good start to an exit strategy, but -

"But then...how do we get out?" she whispered. "Fight through them to the staircase?"

There was no response from Yang while she waited for Ruby to puzzle it out, which would've been a lot easier to do if she wasn't pumping with adrenaline. But think - think, Ruby Rose. There were _always_ two exits in any situation - the one you used to get in and the one you hadn't yet created to get out.

Finally, it dawned on her.

"The windows -"

Never turning her eyes away from the Grimm, Yang nodded in silent agreement.

Was it safe to wait that long though? Yang wouldn't let them stay if it wasn't safe, right?

There was no time to second guess anything now. The plan was set and they were waiting - hoping that the Grimm would put off their assault until Blake and Weiss were successful.

Ruby could now see that they were facing Beowolves, and a lot of them. The creatures were creeping on all fours through the jumbled maze of furniture, close enough that she could vividly make out red designs on eerie white skulls.

Flexing Thorn, she gripped the handle of Crescent Rose tightly - finding reassurance and confidence in how her glove locked together with her weapon.

"We don't have much time…" Yang whispered out of the side of her mouth.

"Weiss, I need your help," Ruby heard Blake say.

Another sound caught Ruby's attention then - a strange scratching noise that seemed to come from all directions. Not turning her head, but flicking her eyes to the side, she found that there were more Beowolves climbing up the side of the building.

Still, Yang stood her ground at the doorway, and Ruby did the same. The Beowolves were too close to risk turning around again - close enough that Ruby could hear their creepy, raspy breathing and smell the overwhelming odor of old garbage.

She'd never been this close to a Grimm before, but she didn't feel afraid. Even though these creatures were bent upon her destruction, she was surprisingly at peace with the situation. Sure, her heart was pounding, but it was from adrenaline, not fear.

And the adrenaline was building...because she knew that any second the attack would come…

"You ready?" Yang whispered, nudging Ruby's elbow. Before Ruby could reply, she heard what sounded like ice cracking.

"Got it!" Blake shouted.

Blake's voice broke whatever barrier had been keeping the Beowolves at bay, sending them all charging forward at once. As snarls filled the air, Yang grabbed Ruby by the arm and spun her around. Her feet were running before she even thought to tell them to, and two shotgun blasts went off before the sound of shattering glass filled her ears. When her sister pulled her out of the office window, Ruby closed her eyes right before the shards hit her face.

The next second they were falling - the glass tumbling with them to the ground. Ruby opened her eyes to the howls of Beowolves plummeting off the building with them, thankfully far enough away to not be an immediate threat.

The free fall only lasted a couple seconds before she spun and planted her feet underneath her, hitting the ground with a soft thud that sent impact shooting through her feet and knees. Shards of glass rained down on her head and shoulders before she was up and chasing after Yang, briefly turning to make sure Blake and Weiss were already up and running too. Sparing a glance up at the office where they'd just been, she found the building was covered in Beowolves, many that had just noticed their escape and were headed back down to pursue them.

"Secondary pick up!" Yang shouted while pressing a button on her watch that turned the numbers from green to yellow.

"How long?" Weiss yelled from behind Ruby as the four of them tore through the streets towards the fountain.

"Three minutes."

Weiss muttered something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like a swear word, but Ruby couldn't hear very well over the howling of Beowolves and the pounding of her heart in her chest.

"We can hold them," Blake huffed from Ruby's other side, before straining her legs and pulling in front of both Ruby and Yang to lead the way.

The moon had come out from behind the clouds, illuminating the empty streets far more brightly than when they'd arrived several minutes ago, but Ruby still had no idea where they were going. She'd memorized the map, but it hadn't been very detailed when it came to the streets. Thankfully, they were following Blake's lead...and it seemed like Blake knew exactly where she was going.

Flashes of movement caught Ruby's eye in every direction, but she never saw the sources. There wasn't time to double check for enemies, as she was too busy focusing on keeping her feet moving, staying upright, and breathing properly in order to conserve as much energy as possible.

The buildings abruptly fell away when they rushed into the large, open square with the fountain standing in the middle. Their feet didn't stop running until they'd reached the partially destroyed construct - its foundation was cracked, and chunks of stone were missing from the sculpture on top.

"Ruby, you still have the flare I gave you?" Yang asked as they turned away from the fountain towards the edge of the courtyard - the courtyard that was quickly filling with Grimm.

Fumbling in her pocket, Ruby pulled out the flare and peeled off the top. These were special flares - very powerful, very bright. She'd given Yang such a hard time about bringing them along, but obviously her sister had known best.

"Ok, we each get one quad of the square," Yang instructed calmly, sliding to Ruby's left while Blake took up position to Ruby's right. "Call out if you need help. Ready...light 'em up!"

Pulling the tab, Ruby threw the flare as far as she could towards the edge of the town square, briefly shielding her eyes to prevent herself from being blinded by the bright light. After dropping her arm and opening her eyes, she found a swarm of Beowolves in front of her.

The creatures howled at the suddenly bright area and charged.

The sound of rapid bullets was followed by the flares bursting into a shower of sparks as the Grimm stepped over them, causing many of the creatures to scatter in every which direction in surprise - but it only caused a slight pause in their rush.

Ruby's muscles tensed in anticipation as the Beowolves raced towards her - three across in the first row. They were bigger than she'd expected them to be, with their wiry limbs giving them a far greater reach than she'd expected. Taking that into consideration, she'd have to attack sooner than she thought she would. Which was right about….now.

Blitzing forward, she swept through the first three with one long swing of Crescent Rose. The Beowolves immediately disintegrated into black ash, letting her know she'd gotten quick kills, but there were already more to take their place.

Making sure her back was always to the monument, Ruby vaguely heard the sound of shotgun blasts to her left and glimpsed rapid shadow clones to her right. But more than that, she heard the cries and growls of Grimm - lots of them. And the more they howled - the more noise they made - the more other Grimm in the area would show up to the party.

Lopping the heads off of two Beowolves with a quick back-forth combo, she then drew back Crescent Rose and flung the weapon into a large crowd that had formed in front of her. Three managed to escape, but four more fell as she immediately summoned Crescent Rose back to her. Catching the weapon while racing towards the survivors of the group, she beheaded them the instant Thorn latched onto the weapon.

Skidding to a stop, she found that a vertical line of six had appeared. Was she fast enough? Her semblance shot her forward, drawing a line through the Beowolves before planting Crescent Rose in the ground, leaving the weapon behind and sending herself flying back to the center of the courtyard. While she was still in transit, she summoned her weapon after her - allowing it to plow through two more Grimm before catching it when she finally stopped, and immediately using it to destroy three more Grimm in three easy, swift blows.

Big, lanky, but surprisingly easy to kill. Their lack of armor provided zero resistance to Crescent Rose and, unlike Blake and Yang, their ability to dodge or deflect was basically nonexistent. Plus, they weren't very smart. It was almost like fighting against some pillows - which wasn't very fair to pillows.

Five more, six more Beowolves disappeared before her ears picked up something different. There were the howls of Grimm, the cries and growls and roars and scratching of claws tearing across the street, but a new noise had just been added to the mix.

It sounded like a something was pounding its way through the streets, sending tremors through the ground. Clearing out a patch of Grimm as she turned towards the source of the noise, her eyes widened when a full-sized Death Stalker charged into the square, shoving over the remnants of a small building while doing so.

She'd seen pictures and videos before, but nothing could have prepared her for the real deal.

It was _huge_. Like...gargantuan huge. Its rows of tiny legs managed to move it surprisingly fast, while pincers the size of a small car made a terrifying loud clacking sound when they snapped together. The stinger, glowing dangerously yellow and towering over the courtyard, swayed back and forth - ready and willing to snap forward in an instant.

Nothing but Beowolves - that's what Yang had said. But the Death Stalker was in Ruby's quadrant...and it was charging straight towards her.

"Ruby, don't!" she heard Yang yell just as she'd begun spooling up her semblance for a potential attack. Obediently waiting, she prepared herself to dive out of the way when Blake or Yang showed up. Which would hopefully be soon, cuz it was getting rather close...

But it wasn't Blake or Yang who showed up to help. Instead, it was a giant, ghostly soldier who suddenly appeared - at least twelve feet tall and carrying a sword Ruby could never dream of picking up. One swing of that sword cleared out a group of at least ten Beowolves before the soldier rushed the Death Stalker without hesitation. Ruby watched in stunned awe as, right before reaching the Grimm, the soldier split into two - _two_ massive soldiers converging on a single Grimm that now looked pretty puny in comparison.

"Oh holy Grimm. Blake - get Weiss' back!" she heard Yang yell from behind her. Ruby briefly turned around and found that Weiss was following the soldier's movements intently, while Blake slid over to maintain positioning behind her.

The Death Stalker struck first with its stinger - lashing out like a bolt of lightning. One soldier deflected the attack with his sword while the second fearlessly grabbed the stinger in one hand. Before the Grimm could react, the first soldier's sword seamlessly swung back around and separated the stinger from the creature in one powerful blow. Rearing up in anger, the Death Stalker managed to clasp one of its powerful pincers around the second soldier's legs, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead, he dropped the stinger to the ground and used both hands to plunge his sword down through the plating on the creature's back - one, two, three, four times until the Grimm stilled.

As the great Death Stalker disintegrated, the soldier still clasped in its claw also disappeared from view. A pack of Beowolves was descending on the remaining soldier - who swung his sword in a giant loop and took out six in one easy blow. But there were twice as many to replace them - the air filling with more and more howls of anger.

"Ruby! We need you to create a perimeter! Hold them back!"

Slicing through two more Beowolves who'd skirted around the giant soldiers, Ruby risked a glance towards her sister.

"Create a perimeter? How?"

"Your semblance!"

Oh. Duh. That would work, wouldn't it?

Calling upon her semblance, Ruby raced forward like a shot out of a cannon, sweeping through a line of Beowolves as she did so. Skidding to a stop and turning right, she took off again - running fast. With Crescent Rose extended to her left, held firmly within Thorn's grasp, she caught any Grimm in her path while making sure to duck or dodge any attacks swung her way. The first circle she completed was tight and close to her partners, but the second she pushed further out and ran even harder.

It was _really_ awesome. The first few lines of Beowolves fell like timber, not even slowing down as they ran into her blade of destruction. By the time she made it through four or five circles, the remaining Grimm got a little smarter - they started trying to back up and jump over her instead of running straight through, their intent obvious from the tightening, bunching muscles in their legs.

If she wanted to keep them back, she needed to go faster. Fast enough that even if one jumped, she'd complete a full circle and be back in time to snatch it from the air.

Her legs and lungs were beginning to scream as she pushed herself harder than she'd ever pushed herself before. There was a veritable snowstorm of rose petals kicking up around her, but she pushed onward. Her energy was rapidly depleting, but there was also something new at the very edge of her grasp - a level of speed she'd yet to experience. If she tried a little harder, she could reach it -

A loud _pop_ suddenly echoed through her head. Confused, she kept running for several laps until she realized that something was wrong. Slowing down, she looked around in surprise.

Everything had stopped. Not completely, but the world was now moving in slower than slow motion - even though she was still moving like normal. Beowolves were frozen in time, some of them just starting to open their jaws to howl, some stretching their arms forward in an attempt to grab her where she'd once been.

Looking back, her companions were still collected around the fountain, with an airship just beginning to appear over their heads. Yang was mid-punch, about to take out a Beowolf in a single blow. Blake was doing a slow somersault in mid-air, while Gambol rained bullets down on a group of three Grimm. Weiss had Myrtenaster aimed towards another Beowolf, shimmering blue lights collecting at the end of her weapon.

Two more Death Stalkers had appeared on either side of the square, the buildings they'd just crashed through toppling in freeze frame. The remaining giant soldier was swinging his massive sword through a crowd of Grimm, moving a millimeter at a time.

"Ok…" Ruby whispered to herself, finding that she was breathless and growing more exhausted while she wasn't even moving.

She had no idea what was going on - she was clearly using an abundance of energy without realizing it - but she wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this just because it didn't make sense.

Grasping onto whatever feeling increased her fatigue, figuring that's what was keeping her in this state, she dashed around as quickly as possible - cutting through all of the Beowolves and putting several hundred rapid stabs into each Death Stalker, right in their weak point underneath a gap in the plating.

Yang had said 'nothing but Beowolves,' but she hadn't mentioned anything about _frozen_ Death Stalkers…

The more Ruby moved, the more exhausted she grew and the heavier her head began to feel. It wasn't even thirty seconds that she was in this weird time freeze state before her mind couldn't keep up with it anymore, and everything started to unravel. When time began speeding up, she headed towards Yang - knowing that they'd be jetting away on the ship soon.

Everything was moving faster and faster with each passing moment - like everything had been frozen but was now rapidly catching up to real time. If the feeling she'd grabbed onto was like a string, it was pulling out of her hands and she had absolutely no energy left to hang onto it. Another _pop_ sounded in her mind when it disappeared and everything suddenly jumped from 50% to full speed.

Not expecting the rapid time shift, she _might_ have face planted on the ground. Apparently, it was a little difficult to jog while time warped back to normal...

"Ruby!"

Yang was rushing forward to help, but Ruby pushed herself to her feet and ran to her sister while their ship dropped in from the sky. There was an odd moment of silence that caused her to turn around right as a giant black cloud swept into the air - the result of her not-so-hard work.

For that single second, the square was nearly clear of Grimm.

"What did you…?" Yang began to ask while staring at the sudden emptiness, only to grab Ruby's arm and pull her along instead. "Help Weiss into the ship."

More Grimm were already arriving. A spotlight suddenly shone down from above, followed closely by the loud whirring of engines and wind rushing down into the clearing. Looking up, Ruby found the airship hovering over the fountain waiting to pick them up. Wasting no time, she ran over and wrapped one arm around Weiss' waist. Weiss seemed completely spent, so Ruby lifted her off her feet and carried her up the fountain. It helped that Weiss was super light or that Ruby was super strong. One of those.

The door to the ship was lowered and Blake was already waiting there - motioning them to move faster while Yang was fending off the Grimm from behind them, shotgun blasts repeatedly echoing through the air. When Ruby reached Blake, the two of them together lifted Weiss into the back of the transport before jumping in themselves.

"Lift off!" Blake shouted to the pilot, who immediately pulled the ship into the air while Blake threw Gambol Shroud from the open doorway, one hand grasping a handle in the transport while the other strained in swinging Yang aboard. Yang immediately pressed a round green button inside the ship and the ramp lifted and closed, causing a sudden sucking sound of air before it sealed shut and everything grew quiet.

All four of them were out of breath, and Ruby could feel an underlying layer of exhaustion in her semblance, but it really felt like she could keep going for hours more. She _wanted_ to keep going - she wanted to fight more!

"That was _so awesome_!" she exclaimed, spinning around in a circle and tossing Crescent Rose onto the floor of the ship, only to summon the weapon back into her hand a second later.

Her companions all gave her varying degrees of smiles - Yang's by far the largest.

"Yang! You're so freaking good!" Ruby said, rushing over to check over Ember Celica for any damage. Satisfied that the gauntlets held up, she ran to Blake next. "And Blake! Those clones of yours were like whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! Everywhere!"

After Blake gave her a small smile, Ruby turned to Weiss.

"Weiss! What the heck were those giant soldier dudes? Holy crapoly were they ever cool! I mean - did you see him take out like fifteen Beowolves with one swing?" Ruby pretended like she was wielding a giant sword and swung it through the air like he had, letting go and shielding her eyes from the pretend sun while imaginary Grimm went flying over the buildings. "That had to be the _coolest_ thing I've ever seen!"

"I'm...glad you like him..." Weiss murmured, looking moderately embarrassed by Ruby's words.

"Is he the same every time? What's his name?" Ruby asked as a million other questions came to mind. "He looks like a...Chester. Or Renaldo. Maybe a…a...what's another guy name?"

"Ronnie?" Blake suggested, the name making Ruby burst into giggles.

"Ronnie! That's so perfect! Like, 'oh hey, wanna meet my friend Ronnie?' It sounds so safe, and then in stomps this huge freaking giant!"

When she was really excited, she talked a lot. Like now. When she noticed that she was doing it again, she could normally force herself to cut it out. Like now. Cut it out! But she couldn't. Her skin was practically vibrating with electricity right now!

"You ladies know how to draw quite the crowd!" the pilot yelled back to them from the cockpit.

"You know we're the life of the party!" Yang replied with a grin, before sitting back in her seat and letting out a big sigh. "Well...that didn't exactly go as planned."

Rolling her eyes, Blake leaned into Yang's side. "Does it ever?"

"What did you get, anyway?" Ruby asked. Reaching into a nearly invisible pocket, Blake pulled out a tiny memory drive.

"I _hope_ it's what we were looking for," she answered, flipping the device over in her hand.

Clenching her fist in success, Ruby turned back to Weiss - only to find that she had closed her eyes and was leaning her head back against the headrest. The sight instantly calmed Ruby down...because something about Weiss' posture made her worried.

Stowing Crescent Rose under one of the seats, Ruby finally sat down.

"Weiss," she said as softly as she could. Clear blue eyes opened and found hers - sending a tiny tremor through her chest. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, just...tired..." Weiss replied, giving Ruby what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile, but really wasn't. "You did really well…"

The words should've made Ruby really happy, but she was still concerned. Glancing across the ship, she found that Yang was watching Weiss thoughtfully while Blake whispered in her ear. After Blake finished speaking, Yang nodded and looked away.

If neither of them were super concerned, maybe Ruby didn't need to be, but it seemed like Weiss wasn't feeling very well. Whenever Ruby felt crappy, it made her feel better when Yang would hold her hand or rub her shoulder. Maybe Weiss would feel the same?

Hesitantly, Ruby reached over and took one of Weiss' hands in her own. Weiss' eyes flew open and she stared at Ruby for a second in confusion, but when Ruby smiled, Weiss smiled in return before closing her eyes and letting out a soft, content sigh.

The reaction made Ruby sigh in relief. Leaning back in her seat with Weiss' hand held in her lap, she thought about how...delicate...Weiss' hands were. And soft, but also strong from using Myrtenaster so much. There were some hidden calluses - built up over time - that Ruby could feel underneath her fingertips.

With her free hand, Ruby lightly traced the back of Weiss' hand - from Weiss' wrist to the tips of her fingers and back again. Feeling someone watching her, Ruby looked up and met Blake's eyes - but Blake merely smiled before turning to the side and placing a soft kiss to the top of Yang's head. Even though it would only be a few extra minutes to the airship station closest to their home, Yang was already conked out and sleeping with her head on Blake's shoulder.

The energy in the ship dwindled quickly as adrenaline faded to relief. Ruby could feel the effect taking place in her own body - her muscles unwinding and her heartbeat slowing to a more normal pace. A few minutes ago, she'd been charged with electricity - now, she felt...sleepy.

While the ship sped through the sky, Ruby focused her attention on the girl sitting beside her. Without leaning forward she couldn't tell if Weiss was sleeping or not, but Weiss never moved her hand from its position gently curled around Ruby's. It was a nice feeling - holding Weiss' hand. It was actually kind of funny because Ruby had meant to comfort Weiss with the gesture, but it ended up comforting herself as well. Mutually beneficial...

Still tracing the back of Weiss' hand, Ruby leaned close enough that her arm was pressed against Weiss' side. They always seemed to crank the air up in airships, so it was kind of cold - and she didn't want Weiss to be cold. Pleasantly surprised when Weiss made no effort to move away, Ruby settled in and enjoyed the warmth they were able to share.

This was also nice. After the whirlwind of activity they'd just sprinted through, it was nice to relax, decompress, and just...be here together. For each other. The four of them - Blake with Yang, Weiss with Ruby. It almost made her wish that the flight home would last a little longer...

As her own adrenaline wore off, it felt like sandbags were trying to weigh her eyes shut. Her body was winding down and trying to put her to sleep, but her mind was still racing with so many questions. Like how had the Grimm found them so quickly? How had Blake broken into the safe? What would've happened if the second evac point hadn't worked and they'd had to 'hoof it' back to Vale? Would the Grimm have pursued them all the way to the walls?

And, most importantly, when could they do this again? Because she wanted to do it again. Like right away. Or at least, as soon as Weiss felt better.


	19. Chapter 19

**Again, thank you all for the support. This week has felt super long with Bumblebee Week going on as well, but I'm really happy to get back to this story with another chapter! All of your reviews and kind words are much appreciated :D**

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It was every little girl or boy's dream to become a huntsman. Some of the first stories they would hear - while being tucked into bed at night or scolded at the dining table - were the feats and valor of those who fought and gave their lives for others. Huntsmen were heroes - and what small child didn't want to be a hero?

There was a reason why so many students applied to the huntsmen academies - and a reason why so many were turned away.

Nothing about what they did was easy. Nothing was simple. Nothing was guaranteed. Even with the level of training they had, it was hard to escape a hunt unscathed.

It was even harder to do so while watching over someone else.

The added responsibility increased the pressure and intensity, taking it to a point where any minor mistake could snowball into dire circumstances. Thankfully, Yang and Blake were perfectly capable of completing the mission and keeping a close eye on Ruby the entire time. They'd been rather covert about it, actually. Ruby may not have noticed, but one of them had been practically glued to her side throughout the entire ten-minute ordeal.

Not that Ruby needed their help. The first few minutes she was hesitant, but the ground was still dry when her instincts clicked in and took over. It was amazing to watch - like returning to Beacon and witnessing the beginning of something incredible. No one had realized at that time the type of huntress Ruby would become or the feats she would accomplish. Everyone thought she was just another girl...

But Ruby was as deadly as ever. She still possessed that unreal combination of speed, accuracy, and intuition that made her a terror on the battlefield. She still wielded the capability to deal tremendous waves of damage in milliseconds. And her semblance still changed the tide of any fight in their favor.

It had taken only a few seconds for Ruby to find her bearings and take charge. She fought without fear, without hesitation. Of course, she had nothing to fear - in her mind, she'd never been hurt by a Grimm before.

Regardless of the reasons behind her confidence, the entire hunt had felt like...like having the old Ruby back again.

With the four of them out there together, just like before, it felt like they were one unit again. They each had a responsibility and they executed flawlessly. Even when the original plan broke down, there was a smoothness in moving to the secondary evacuation point - a seamlessness in setting up their quadrants around a defensible space - that couldn't have existed if they hadn't all been on the same page.

Blake had been right - Ruby's instincts were still there. In some way, whether conscious or not, she knew where the imminent danger was coming from and how to neutralize it quickly. She could strategize on the fly. She was highly adaptable. And she was still highly skilled and dangerous with Crescent Rose - maybe even more so with the addition of Thorn.

If anything, _Weiss_ had been the liability. When she saw the Death Stalker racing towards Ruby...she hadn't been able to hold her emotions in check. The creature's presence reached deep down into her very core and pulled at the threads of trauma still unhealed from the previous encounter. She'd immediately broken from her training and done something they'd been taught to never, ever do - she panicked.

Summoning two soldiers was an overreaction, to put it mildly. At Beacon, she used Ronnie so often that she'd built up the fortitude to maintain him for longer periods of time, but that muscle had atrophied tremendously while she'd been separated from her team. These days, the effort to maintain his form drained her energy reserves after only a few seconds - calling two soldiers at once...she'd hardly been able to get out of bed this morning.

Honestly, she was surprised Yang hadn't let her have it in the airship for making such a risky, unnecessary decision. They hadn't been in any imminent danger at that moment, but then Weiss had gone and drained all of her energy to eliminate one Grimm - one Grimm that Blake and Yang could have easily taken care of without her.

When she was completely weakened, they'd been forced to look after her until their ride arrived. It made her a burden, not an asset. And, ultimately, it put Ruby in even more danger because they needed her to set up and maintain a perimeter.

The biggest question though - and one Weiss was hesitant to broach - was if she was the one who'd attracted the Beowolves. She'd noticed the glances Blake and Yang shared when they'd gotten into the airship - she knew that her teammates were already thinking the same thing.

Grimm were drawn to sadness, despair, loneliness...and it would be a complete lie for Weiss to say that she wasn't currently suffering from one or all of those things. In wanting to keep Ruby safe, by insisting on going on the hunt, Weiss could have unwittingly put everyone's lives in far greater danger than if she'd merely accepted her place and stayed home.

It was possible that there had been more Grimm in the area than the pilot had spotted. It was possible that they'd rushed towards the sound of the airship. It was possible that they'd already been on the research facility's grounds, or lurking in the lower levels of the building.

Equally likely was the possibility that Weiss had been the one who'd attracted them in the first place.

Regardless, as difficult as it might be, it was time to move on. Huntsmen needed to have short-term memories when it came to their time in the forest - if they fulfilled the mission and returned home safe and unharmed, there was nothing more that could be asked for. Like Blake had said, missions never went as planned. Dwelling on what went wrong would only create anxieties that would be carried forward to future excursions, potentially with negative consequences.

Knowing this, Weiss was determined to leave the hunt in the past, especially because today - even though she was currently feeling like she'd been hit by a delivery truck - she was hosting her teammates for a tour of her family's company.

The trip had been meticulously planned over the past couple of days (when she hadn't been mentally preparing herself for the hunt) and today she wanted to ensure Ruby had a great time. Which was why, instead of driving herself over to her teammates' house, she was being driven there by one of the company's drivers.

"I'll be right back," she told the suited man after he opened the door for her to exit the vehicle. He nodded his head in understanding before closing the door and standing patiently to the side awaiting her return.

Striding purposefully up the front walk, she wasn't given the luxury of lingering when she could feel the man watching her every move. This was one of the ever-present drawbacks to using her family's resources - there was no telling what information was being noted and passed along to her father. Thus, it was important to be on her best behavior for the time being.

Raising one hand, she knocked on the door and felt her heart thump loudly when heavy steps approached her. A few seconds later, the door pulled open with Yang standing behind it - her pleased grin flattening slightly upon finding Weiss outside.

"Hey," was all Yang said before stepping aside and motioning for Weiss to come in. Accepting the silent invitation, Weiss stepped through the doorway and opened her mouth to ask if they were ready, but stopped when she heard lighter footsteps racing towards them.

"Yang! You're gonna make us -" Ruby's shout cut off mid-sentence as she careened to a stop in the living room and gave Weiss an adorable wave. "Oh, hey Weiss! Hold on just a minute - I'm almost ready!"

With that, Ruby disappeared down the hallway again, this time leaving a cloud of petals in her wake.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked curiously.

"They keep making fun of me for taking too long to find my shoes," Yang explained while Blake walked into the living room. "So I picked out what I wanted to wear last night and then hid theirs."

"Not very well," Blake teased, kissing Yang on the cheek.

"Of course _you_ found your shoes. You're practically part bloodhound."

"As a feline, I take offense to that," Blake huffed playfully before smiling. "Should I help Ruby find hers?"

The question only made Yang turn towards the hall. "Ruby, we're waiting for you!" she yelled, grinning at the muffled grumbles they heard in return.

"Where did you hide them?" Weiss asked.

"I'll give you a hint - they're not _in_ the house."

At one time, she would have been annoyed by Yang's antics, but she'd learned a long time ago that playing along was much easier than trying to resist. Regardless, she rolled her eyes for show before brushing past the two girls to find Ruby in her bedroom.

"Ruby?" Weiss called out, walking hesitantly into the still startlingly clean room. At the sound of her name, Ruby's head popped up on the other side of the bed, her brunette hair an adorable mess. "Do you want some help?" Weiss offered.

"It's ok - I'm close, I can feel it!"

Weiss couldn't help but smile at Ruby's big grin. She was just so cute...

"Well, if _you_ were going to hide a pair of Yang's shoes, where would you put them?" Weiss asked as a way of giving a hint.

"Oh, I dunno...probably in the woods. Or on the roof or something."

While Ruby held onto that little grin, Weiss waited patiently for realization to set in. And it did - Ruby's mouth falling open before she sprinted out of the room and into the hall, leaving Weiss in a cloud of petals.

"Yang!" Ruby yelled in exasperation before Weiss heard the back door open. Following the trail of petals outside, she walked out onto the grass and stood beside Ruby - the two of them staring up at a pair of boots sitting on the roof of the house.

"Sometimes my dumb, stupid sister…" Ruby grumbled under her breath before walking over to the side of the house and grabbing onto the windowsill.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked, her concern growing when Ruby stepped up on the windowsill.

"Getting my boots back!" Ruby replied as she pulled herself up so her feet were on the upper ledge of the window.

"You're not even wearing shoes!" Weiss gasped, striding over to the window and watching Ruby lift herself up to the roof using the rain gutter.

"Well yeah, cuz my shoes are -"

A loud screech of metal was followed by a squeal of surprise, which was then followed by a heavy weight planting itself right in Weiss' arms as she instinctively attempted to catch her falling partner. It was an unsuccessful attempt, but she _did_ manage to break Ruby's fall as the two of them crashed to the ground and a loud _oof_ of air was knocked from her lungs.

The back of her head hurt now, where there would probably be bump later, but Ruby...

Ruby was laying on top of her, brunette hair strewn across her face while Ruby's arms and legs were pressing against her everywhere. While Ruby struggled to untangle herself, Weiss felt her cheeks steadily heating up. Eventually, Ruby pushed herself up onto her arms and stared down into Weiss' eyes - both hands and knees straddling Weiss on the grass.

"Weiss! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

Trying to regain her breath, Weiss motioned that she needed a second before finally feeling her lungs re-inflate with air.

"I...yes, I am," she replied breathlessly, glancing down when Ruby's ring fell to dangle in front of her face, only to immediately avert her eyes when she saw that the collar of Ruby's shirt was also dipping a bit low.

"Are you sure? You hit the ground kinda hard!"

Risking a quick look back at Ruby, Weiss immediately turned away - her cheeks threatening to catch on fire any second now. And, as luck would have it, when she turned away her eyes caught Blake and Yang walking outside to see what all the commotion was about.

"Hey what hap - woah there, don't let us interrupt."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted at her sister while carefully rolling to the side in order to stand up. When she offered a hand down, Weiss willingly accepted it and allowed Ruby to pull her back to her feet.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't put my boots on the roof!" Ruby huffed in annoyance, letting go of Weiss' hand far too soon.

"I didn't think you'd try to climb the house using the gutter!" Yang protested. "Weiss' glyphs could've easily brought those down."

The comment made Ruby and Weiss share a look of surprise.

Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that?

Sighing in exasperation, she stepped around the house and easily flicked the boots down into her arms. They were exactly the same as the ones Ruby had worn at Beacon, though that wasn't a surprise. Ruby wore through the poor things time and time again, and always replaced them with the exact same brand and style. Something about continuity of combat preparedness...

Running her fingers across the toe, Weiss savored the familiar feeling of broken-in leather before handing them over to Ruby with a smile.

"Thanks, Weiss!" Ruby said, returning the smile before sitting down on the porch step to pull them on. "That was a whole lot easier than climbing the house…"

"How are we gonna put the gutter back up?" Yang asked, studying the piece of metal hanging free of the house before shrugging her shoulders. "Nothing some tape won't fix, right?"

Shaking her head, Blake rubbed Yang's shoulder in consolation while Yang grinned - not one to be upset about a little extra work for long.

"Ok!" Ruby called out a couple seconds later, jumping to her feet and stomping her boots lightly to set them into place. " _Now_ I'm ready to go!"

" _Finally_ ," Yang exaggerated while heading back into the house. "Jeez, took you _forever_ to find your shoes, Ruby."

When Ruby reached over and punched Yang in the shoulder, she only laughed while disappearing inside with Blake in tow.

"If you're ready, we can head out now," Weiss said, waving after the pair. After Ruby nodded in acceptance, Weiss walked towards the house and Ruby quickly fell into step with her.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Ruby asked, turning to Weiss in concern. When she turned in the narrow hallway, their shoulders gently touched - before the living room provided them ample room to walk apart.

"I'm alright. Just had the wind knocked out of me," Weiss replied with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Quickly rubbing the back of her head, which must have hit the ground at some point, she found that it was a bit sore but not swollen.

Thankfully, the answer seemed to cheer Ruby up. With a grin, she dashed a few steps forward and held the front door for Weiss before racing out into the front yard behind her.

"Wow!" Ruby exclaimed when she saw the sleek, black limo and smartly-dressed driver waiting for them. "Is that for us?"

Weiss wasn't smug - she tried not to be a smug person - but she was awfully pleased by the delighted reaction. Impressing Ruby was one of Weiss' very favorite things to do - besides making her smile, laugh, or giggle in that adorable way she had. Dipping into the family coffers seemed like a rather simple way to do this, but if it worked...why not?

Nodding her head, Weiss watched the driver politely open the door for them to enter. It was unusual for her to request a driver in Vale because she knew the streets well and found it liberating to be in charge of her own transportation - however, her goal today was to wow Ruby, and that meant it was time for a little extra pomp and excessiveness.

"Pulling out all the stops, aren't ya," Yang quipped, ducking into the vehicle after Ruby practically dove through the open door. Weiss didn't have the chance to see if Yang was trying to be insulting or not before Blake gave her a smile and slipped in after Yang. Entering the vehicle last with a parting nod to the man holding the door, Weiss took one of the open seats - conveniently located right next to Ruby.

"How far away are we?" Ruby asked when the vehicle's engine started and they pulled away from the curb.

"Not far," Weiss answered. "Ten minutes, maybe a little more."

Excited, Ruby turned sparkling silver eyes towards Weiss before leaning forward to see what was inside a small pocket hidden near the floor of the vehicle. As Ruby did so, her arm slid down Weiss' leg and sent a jolt of nerves down her spine.

Planning this day had been an exhaustive process where every possible detour had been taken into consideration. However, somehow Weiss had failed to acknowledge the effects a change in scenery might have on her emotions - most importantly, how being in such a small, enclosed space would force her and Ruby to be in near constant contact. They were sitting right next to each other and - as Ruby moved around to explore the limousine - she was bumping into Weiss almost constantly.

It wasn't that Weiss minded the intrusion on her personal space - she'd actually come to expect and enjoy that closeness with Ruby - but the familiarity and nonchalance of the contact made it seem like today was just the four of them heading out on another one of their grand, Schnee-funded adventures.

Of course, that was no longer the case - a reality made all the more evident by the glances Yang kept throwing across the cabin as if she suspected Weiss was going to try something underhanded. Lilac eyes flitted from Weiss to Ruby and back again, in an endless pattern that made no sense to Weiss. Why was Yang watching so closely? It wasn't as if anything out of the ordinary was occurring. They were merely sitting next to each other while Ruby explored.

Thankfully, Blake quickly captured Yang's full attention by scooting closer and resting one hand calmly on Yang's thigh. The intense scrutiny instantly disappeared and was replaced by soft conversation between the two partners on the opposite side of the vehicle. It was only then that Weiss was able to relax and watch as Ruby gleefully found the mini fridge hidden in the seat beside her.

"Oohh! Look! They even have chocolate milk in here!" she exclaimed, pulling out one of the small cartons that had been added specifically for her.

"You can have it," Weiss encouraged Ruby with a nod. Beaming with happiness, Ruby pulled out the miniature plastic straw and downed half of the carton while flipping open any other compartments she could find.

"Oh! What's this do?"

Holding up a remote control, Ruby spun it curiously in her hands before giving Weiss an inquisitive look.

"Why don't you find out?" she suggested. There was no hesitation as Ruby pressed the first button, only to gasp when the media screen that had been folded flat to the ceiling lowered and flickered to life.

"That's - so - awesome!"

Smiling, Weiss watched happily while Ruby continued pressing buttons - her silver eyes twinkling with excitement at every new feature she found. The lights clicked on and off - the music turned on, got louder, fell silent - the skylight opened, letting a brief gust of fresh air into the cabin before closing - the windows untinted and then tinted again - the seat massagers and warmers turned on and off - the speakerphone turned on, called Yang's scroll, then hung up. With every press of a button, Ruby's joy only seemed to grow - and Weiss' heart swelled with delight in return.

If there was one tiny, _microscopic_ silver lining to everything that had happened, it was this - watching Ruby revel in 'new' experiences that weren't at all new, and sharing in those moments of pure joy a second time around. Weiss wouldn't have traded the first memory for anything in the world, but having two...there was something remarkably special about that.

It was only when she felt the vehicle slow to a complete stop that she allowed her eyes to leave Ruby's ecstatic face.

"We're here, Miss," the driver called back to her before quickly exiting the car and racing around to open the door for them. When they'd all emptied out into the sunlight - Ruby reluctantly leaving her new favorite remote control behind - the man gave Weiss a curt bow before returning to the vehicle to wait until they needed him again.

Turning away from the street, she found her companions staring at the extensive headquarters lying in front of them.

"Welcome to Schnee Dust," she said, waving a hand towards the sprawling complex of buildings teeming with employees rushing this way and that, while large delivery trucks rattled constantly down the roadway on their left.

The corporate offices at this location had been combined with the factory floors to improve turnaround times, resulting in a skyscraper built in the center of multiple factories - everything connected by sky bridges and covered walkways. Somehow, the architects and exterior designers had cleverly used reflective glass and abundant shrubbery to make the finished compound look more like a futuristic city than an amalgamated monstrosity.

"Holy...cow…"

Smiling at Ruby's slack-jawed expression, Weiss hesitantly placed one hand on Ruby's shoulder and directed them towards the towering front lobby, feeling more and more assured in her action when Ruby made no effort to move away. The gigantic glass panels sent back their reflections as they strode through the sliding doors and into the atrium - which was nearly four stories tall with marble floors and an incessant echo of voices that had always bothered her.

The pace inside the building was frenetic, as executives rushed to and from the elevators for meetings, machine workers hurried back to the factories from break, and visitors were swept away by well-heeled and perfectly-timed tour guides.

Right now, they were separated from the main guest check-in by a series of security scanners - each of which was manned by weaponized Atlesian Knights, a stark reminder that this building was filled with highly dangerous and extraordinarily expensive materials. The scans were exhaustive as they searched for traces of weapons and affiliation to anyone on a series of criminal lists and databases.

Obviously, Weiss wouldn't need to pass through any such security measures - that would be rather preposterous for someone of her position.

Guiding Ruby towards the Knight standing on the far left, Weiss pulled out an identification card and held it in front of his face for the sensors to scan. She then pressed her palm to the metal chest plate, which emitted a soft green glow a second later.

"Weiss Schnee, plus three guests," she spoke clearly. Registering her voice, the robot picked up the three people accompanying her, validated her credentials, and stood out of the way. Stepping past the guard, who Ruby gave an extra long glance as they walked by, Weiss had already spotted one of her assistants waiting for them at the front desk. The girl, whose name Weiss could never remember, rushed over and handed her three badges before disappearing without a single word.

This was why she was Weiss' favorite - she didn't have that compulsive need to speak all the time. Maybe Weiss should try to remember her name...

Security badges in hand, she scanned the names and handed the first two to Yang and Blake before giving the last one to Ruby.

"Here are your security badges," she explained. "Don't lose them. If security finds you without one, you'll be immediately arrested."

Eyes widening in shock, Ruby looked at her badge again before breaking into a smile and holding the piece of plastic up in Yang's face.

"Weiss can spell my name right!"

Yang grinned while slipping her own badge around her neck.

"What Weiss _didn't_ say is that they have trackers in the badges so they know where everyone is at all times," Yang whispered loudly to her sister. Ruby's eyes widened again as she turned to Weiss.

"Is that true?"

"No comment," Weiss replied before turning away, a smile threatening when she heard Ruby's gasp.

There were many valuable items which could be stolen or destroyed in the building. It was important to track every employee's whereabouts at all times in case an accident or theft occurred. At least, that was the company's take on the matter.

"Where to first?" Yang asked, her eyes scanning the corridors and people carefully. Weiss looked around, as well, searching for the lab technician who should be here by now. Her exact instructions had been _not to be late_ , had they not? Yet, here they were - waiting for him to arrive.

Several days ago, she'd added this tour to her schedule and sent firmly worded emails to the department managers so they'd know not to bother her unless absolutely necessary. She'd then hand-selected a technician - and apparently she'd chosen incorrectly since he wasn't able to arrive on time.

"I thought we'd start with a little demonstration," she said, temporarily giving up her search. Her eyes focused on Ruby, who had her head tilted all the way back as she looked at the lights in the ceiling far above. "You had mentioned wanting to see black Dust."

That phrase gained Ruby's attention in a heartbeat, while Yang bobbed her head up and down in approval.

"Sounds like we're gonna start this with a _Yang_ ," she said with a big grin, while Blake solemnly shook her head at the joke.

"I knew you were going to say that…"

"Woah - Weiss, that lady looks just like you!" Ruby suddenly blurted out, pointing over Weiss' shoulder before quickly dropping her hand when Yang gave her a stern look and head shake.

Curiously turning around, Weiss was shocked to see none other than Winter Schnee striding towards them, her head held high while employees scrambled out of her way.

"Winter?" both Weiss and Yang said in unison, sharing a surprised glance.

This had certainly not been part of today's schedule. In fact, nowhere on any schedule was there _any_ mention of Winter being in the building today. What was Winter doing here?

Of course, Weiss was happy to see her sister. Happy, but a little...disgruntled.

"Excuse me," she muttered, separating from her teammates to meet her sister several paces away. They didn't really hug in her family - not like Yang and Ruby - but she dipped her head politely in greeting.

"Winter...I'm surprised to see you here," she said, trying to keep any semblance of exasperation out of her tone while Winter smiled down at her. "You wouldn't be checking in on me, would you?"

"Actually, I have a meeting to attend today. I just got here this morning."

The answer was smooth and polished, but Weiss didn't believe it for a second.

"You never come to meetings in Vale. You always send a proxy."

"You're right, but I thought it might be good for morale to show up personally every once in a while."

"Good for morale? Everyone here is terrified of you," Weiss replied bluntly, earning a somewhat pleased smirk from Winter before she looked Weiss squarely in the eyes.

"So _maybe_ I also wanted to check on you. Is that so horrible?" Winter finally admitted before looking Weiss up and down and nodding in satisfaction. "And you look...better. Maybe I should have had you shipped back to Vale months ago."

Weiss couldn't help but roll her eyes at her sister's words.

"I'm sure that would have gone over swimmingly."

"Ah - I see you've found your wit again," Winter replied with a true smile before leaning forward to whisper, "I was told you authorized a little...experiment."

"Just a small one," Weiss explained as her companions crept closer to see what was going on. In the interest of keeping up appearances, she politely turned around to re-introduce her teammates to Winter - even though Winter was already very familiar with each of them.

"Everyone, this is my sister, Winter. Winter, this is Blake, Ruby, and I'm sure you remember Yang."

Nodding her head to each of them in greeting, Winter tilted her head to Yang with a smile.

"Yang -"

Before Winter could finish whatever proper greeting she was about to utter, Yang strode over and wrapped her in a giant hug - lifting her right off her feet before setting her back on the ground.

"Winter! How have you been?" Yang asked happily, not noticing in the slightest how caught off guard Winter was by the unexpected display of affection. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Seeing Yang treat Winter so kindly sent a sharp pang of jealousy through Weiss' mind, and a frown flitting across her lips. However, unlike Weiss, Winter had never done anything harmful to Yang - if anything, she'd helped Yang immeasurably by acquiring some important upgrades for her arm.

"Busy, as always," Winter replied, straightening her sleeves while attempting to recollect her composure. "I see you haven't lost an ounce of strength."

While the two spoke, Weiss noticed that Ruby's eyes were shifting rapidly back and forth between her and Winter.

"You're Weiss' sister?" Ruby finally asked, gaining everyone's attention with that one small question. "Wow. Your whole family could be models."

The offhand compliment made Weiss' cheeks burn, which Winter unfortunately noticed. First sending Weiss a pleased grin, Winter then turned a sincere smile Ruby's way.

"It's nice to meet you, Ruby. And that's very kind of you to say. I'm sure Weiss, in particular, appreciates the sentiment."

Miffed by the response, Ruby turned to Weiss in confusion. For her part, Weiss glared at her sister before given Ruby a smile and opening her mouth to attempt a response.

But what was she supposed to say to that? She _did_ appreciate the sentiment. She loved the idea that Ruby could think of her as a model. It might be nicer if Ruby hadn't lumped Winter into that category as well, but Weiss wasn't in the position to be picky at the moment.

"Um, thank you, Ruby," she muttered while her blush continued to grow. "I do appreciate that, but I think...that you...would be more apt for such an occupation..."

Her embarrassment was climbing to new heights - and was about to ascend even higher based on the pleased smirk on Yang's lips - but, fortunately, Blake decided to save Weiss from the impending tease by speaking up.

"Hey Ruby, I think I saw a vending machine over there - and I'm pretty sure Weiss has a code that makes everything free."

Forgetting what they'd just been talking about, Ruby gasped and turned to Weiss with stars in her eyes.

"Do you really?"

"It's 1-0-3-1," Weiss replied, smiling when Ruby practically squealed with delight.

"Ten thirty-one. Got it," Ruby repeated before suddenly stopping cold. "Hey, that's my birthday!"

The comment made Weiss freeze when four different sets of eyes locked onto her - three of them blatantly wondering how she was going to explain the rather coincidental set of numbers.

"Is it?" she asked, giving Ruby a smile that might have wavered in the middle. "Well, that's going to make it very easy to remember from now on."

Completely unperturbed by the coincidence, Ruby broke into a big grin before dragging Blake away from them.

"Be right back!" she shouted with a wave.

Watching the two girls weave through the other patrons in the lobby, Weiss heaved a sigh of relief - grateful that Ruby was still so easily distracted. The sound didn't go unnoticed by Winter, who turned away from Ruby with an encouraging expression.

"She looks good."

"You should see her fight," Yang bragged with a proud grin.

"She's fighting again?" Winter asked, looking at Weiss in shock. Catching the gaze, Weiss sighed again.

"Unfortunately, yes. Fortunately, she's very, very good."

Clearly surprised by the revelation, Winter stared for a few moments before slowly shaking her head in respect.

"There's no stopping that one..." she commented, adding another head shake before straightening her posture. "Anyway, I only wanted to speak with you for a second, Weiss. Then I'll be out of your way."

Nodding, Weiss allowed her sister to lead her away from Yang so they could speak in private. Once out of earshot, Winter turned towards Weiss and lowered a fraction of the ever-present guard set in front of her emotions.

"How are you doing?" she asked, her eyes gently adding that she was ready and willing to listen to whatever Weiss had to offer in response.

How many times had Winter asked that exact question? And how many times had Weiss responded with nothing more than a short 'I'm fine?'

"I'm...doing better, I think," Weiss answered truthfully, noting the flash of surprise in her sister's eyes at the unanticipated candor.

It felt uncomfortable and disarming to be honest, but maybe it was time she stopped keeping all of these feelings to herself. Maybe it was time to open up to the people she trusted.

Furrowing her brow, she struggled to find a succinct way to describe her current thoughts.

"I always thought...that being around her would drive me crazy, but even if I was crazy...she would still accept me for that, I think."

When Weiss felt a hopeful smile appear, Winter straightened and smiled right back.

"She's not the only one, you know," Winter replied before pulling Weiss into a brief, unexpected hug. "I'm glad to see a little bit of my sister again. Even if that means you're back to breaking rules for her affection."

"I'm not _technically_ breaking any rules," Weiss immediately refuted, earning an amused expression from her sister in return.

"Just 'stretching' them, are you?"

Smiling at the poor excuse, Weiss nodded regardless. It always warmed her heart how supportive Winter was of Weiss' decisions - whether or not they fell in line with the black and white orders they'd been expressly given.

"I'm glad you came," Weiss admitted. "It's good to see you."

"It's always a pleasure to see you, my little sister," Winter replied, reaching out and setting one hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Can we have dinner tonight before I head back to Atlas?"

"Of course. That sounds great."

"Excellent, then I'll see you soon. Now, I must be going to that meeting - I really do dislike this place though…"

Chuckling while Winter headed away - pausing for a moment to wave towards Yang, Blake, and Ruby - Weiss felt a warmth in her chest that brought a smile to her lips. Winter was right - it felt like Weiss had found a piece of herself that had been missing for quite some time. And as Ruby raced over, her arms loaded with various candies, it really wasn't difficult to imagine what that missing piece had been.

"Did you get everything you wanted?" Weiss asked amusedly, taking stock of the assortment Ruby had acquired.

"One of everything! But that's cuz I didn't know what you'd want."

"What I'd want?" Weiss asked in confusion.

"Yeah! I wanted to bring you something! What's your favorite?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes looking down at the pile of goods in her arms before turning back to Weiss. "I'm sorry I don't know your favorite, but if you tell me I'll remember!"

The apology couldn't possibly refer to Ruby's lack of memories, but to Weiss it felt that way - like Ruby was apologizing for having lost access to that information. It was something that Ruby should never have to apologize for, because it hadn't been her fault. If only Weiss could explain that...

"These ones," she said instead, reaching over and carefully removing a small bag of corn chips. Ruby's eyes narrowed while she made note of the brand before she nodded happily.

"Miss Schnee -"

The source of her name was the man she'd been waiting for - the technician who'd been tasked with setting up the experiment she'd requested specifically for Ruby.

"I'm sorry I'm late. There was an issue with the -"

Shaking her head, Weiss cut off the excuses before they became too technical for her liking.

"You're here now. Let's get going," she instructed calmly, waving for him to lead the way. "You can leave anything you don't want here," she suggested to Ruby, pointing to a coffee table sitting in the lobby. "We can always get it when we return."

Picking out one candy bar, which Weiss happily noted was the same one Ruby had always loved, Ruby dumped the rest of the pile onto the table and gave a thumbs up when she was ready to go. The unexpected deviations from the plan having ended for now, the four of them were finally able to follow the white-coated lab technician out of the lobby and through the hallways leading to the factory floors.

As they walked, Ruby fell into step beside Weiss while Yang and Blake brought up the rear. It could be Weiss' imagination, but it seemed like Ruby was sticking close to Weiss' side today - so close that they were bumping into each other every so often. Not that Weiss minded. Having Ruby nearby was actually quite comforting and reassuring - it was as if her presence lent Weiss strength she didn't have access to on her own. And, more than anything, it made her feel like Ruby _wanted_ to be close to her.

"Here we are," the man announced, swiping his badge across a keypad located beside a rather nondescript white door. When it clicked open, he used both hands to shove the heavy metal inwards before holding it open for them to enter.

The room beyond was one of the viewing rooms in the research and development section of the facility. It was the most dangerous area in the entire compound, which was why every wall and door was made of reinforced metal. If there was going to be an explosion, it would be contained in this location. At least, that was the hope…

"I'll go get the process started."

Without another word, the technician disappeared into the hallway, allowing the heavy door to bang shut behind him. The four of them were left in a small square room with one of the walls containing a large viewing window into a research pod beyond. Behind the thick, tempered glass they could see several robots, which spurred to life a few seconds later when the technician began his duties.

"Dust grows more unstable the more you mix it," Weiss explained while several flat trays were carefully stacked by a set of robotic arms above a stationary Dust mixer. "The primary colors are the most stable, followed by the secondary colors and so forth. Mixing a primary color with a secondary color will give you even more volatile results, continuing on exponentially until you're mixing all of them together."

Her teammates watched in rapt attention while the machine hooked up to a set of colors in the wall - one tube designated for each color of Dust. One by one, a microscopic sample of Dust was collected before the tubes retreated from view.

"Black Dust," Blake said, staring intently into the room.

Weiss nodded at the term.

"Some people - criminals mostly - have tried to harness the power of Black Dust in the past, but it's far too unstable to transport or use in any effective manner. Even Schnee Dust has spent millions of Lien attempting to solve the mystery, with no results."

The idea of her father harnessing the power of Black Dust made Weiss more than apprehensive. What might he do with such power? To what aim would he use it?

Thankfully, the experiments never came close to producing workable results, and the entire program had been shuttered for the time being.

"In order to have a chance at success, you need to mix the primary colors first, then the secondary colors, then tertiary…and hope that it doesn't overmix in the process. Keep in mind that we're using a miniscule amount of Dust here - so little that you could count the individual grains."

The Dust mixer rumbled to life - its large bowl rotating endlessly while the robotic arms lined up the set of trays in a specific order. One by one, each small tray was lifted and emptied into the bowl. It didn't look like much, but Weiss could see brief flashes of colors as Dust slid from the trays and out of view.

Realizing what was about to happen, Yang took a step away from the window.

"Uh...how strong is this glass, Weiss?"

"Strong enough," she replied confidently before muttering under her breath, "I hope…" Blake shot Weiss a look of concern before stepping back with Yang.

While the Blake and Yang moved away from the inevitable explosion, Ruby stepped forward and pressed her nose right against the glass.

When they'd arrived at Beacon, Ruby was seen as quick and goofy. As they'd progressed through the years, more attention was given to her remarkable skill and untouchable power. However, even upon graduation, not many had had the opportunity to know Ruby for what she truly was - fearless.

Fearless or not, Weiss wasn't comfortable with Ruby standing so close - so, without a second thought, she reached forward and grabbed Ruby's hand to pull her back a few steps. When Ruby looked down at their joined hands in surprise, Weiss let go as if she suddenly realized she was holding hot coals.

"It's on tertiary colors," she muttered in embarrassment, nodding towards the room to draw Ruby's eyes away from her.

Without warning, the room suddenly disappeared from view, and Weiss jumped as a resounding _BOOM_ shook the window in front of them - a window designed to withstand multiple explosions from military-grade weaponry.

When the rattling subsided, the room was filled with white smoke that obscured anything from view. As it slowly dissipated, they could see through the glass once more...only to find that there was nothing left in the room - everything had been pulverized into the very fine dust that was now clouding the air. The small particles had etched themselves into the window, leaving the glass a foggy, sandblasted texture.

The silence on their side of the glass was only broken when Yang let out a long, low whistle of appreciation. At a loss for words, Ruby walked back to the window and pressed both hands to the glass.

"Wow," she said succinctly before turning back to them with a grin. "Got it - mixing Dust is _bad!_ "

The lighthearted joke made Yang and Blake chuckle while Weiss smiled.

"So bad guys could potentially use that stuff?" Ruby asked, looking at Weiss for an answer.

"Unlikely. It's too dangerous, even for them. Plus, even if they weren't always at risk of blowing themselves up, the machinery involved would be prohibitively expensive."

...like the million Lien robot she'd just willingly sacrificed so Ruby could see a cool science experiment.

"Glad I'm not in charge of cleaning up," Yang said with a small laugh. "I'd be here for the rest of my life."

"We're always hiring, you know."

The words slipped out before Weiss paused to think about them - a subtle joke that she immediately wished she could have back. Concerned about how it would be received, she shook her head and opened her mouth to apologize when she heard Ruby giggle. The infectious sound filled the room - making Blake break into a smile before Yang caved and joined in the laughter.

"At least I have options," Yang said with another chuckle before reaching out and softly knocking a fist into her sister's shoulder.

Surprised and immensely relieved with how that had turned out, Weiss managed a small smile of her own before the door beside them suddenly opened and drew their attention.

"Excuse me, Miss," an unfamiliar man said while stepping inside. "Your sister asked me to give you and your guests a tour of the DEB floor."

Of course - the DEB floor would be the best place to go next. Winter was a genius.

"Please lead the way," Weiss instructed him before walking out into the hallway with Ruby already back by her side.

"That was _so_ cool," Ruby remarked, swinging her arms happily and brushing into Weiss' side in the process.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"And learned a valuable lesson!" Ruby added with a grin. "See, Yang just needed to give me a good reason _not_ to mix Dust. I'd say that was a pretty good reason!"

When Ruby leaned over and gently bumped Weiss in the shoulder, she smiled while an overwhelming sense of contentedness spread through her. The demonstration was a success if Ruby enjoyed it - with the unintended benefit of a life lesson thrown into the mix.

Making their way onward, Weiss was pleased to discover that this technician moved quickly - his pace unceasing until they neared the DEB floor. It was only then that he turned around in order to explain where they were headed.

"Schnee Dust doesn't just refine and sell Dust," he said while skillfully walking backward. "We're also responsible for the majority of Dust research and development, as well as the only producer of Dust Enhanced Bullets - or DEBs, for short."

Stopping by a set of double doors, he scanned his badge at the security access point before pulling one open for them.

"Welcome to DEB's room."

In unspoken agreement, they waited for Ruby to enter first - which she did before immediately letting out a gasp of amazement.

"Now we're talking," Yang remarked with a grin, walking inside with Blake.

Bringing up the rear, Weiss found her companions staring in wonder at the massive assembly lines running in front of them. Each one carried a different caliber bullet that was being filled with Dust and capped with a corresponding color. Further down the line, the DEBs were being placed into cartridges or boxes and carried into the shipping facility just beyond the large doors on the far end of the room.

"So many bullets!" Ruby squealed with happiness, her eyes twinkling in glee.

"Around fifty million Lien's worth of DEBs are shuttled through here each day," the technician commented proudly. "They're loaded onto trucks in the next room and sent all over Vale."

"Are you drooling?" Weiss teased Ruby, who snapped her jaw shut and wiped the edge of her mouth like it might actually be true.

"I've never even _imagined_ so many Dust bullets before!" Ruby exclaimed while she took in the sights. "I just think like...Dust, right? Powdery stuff. But _these_ are _awesome_!"

"Ok," Yang said, turning to the man with one hand on her hip. "Where are the shotgun shells?"

After looking to Weiss for permission, which she granted with a single nod, he waved for Yang to follow him.

"Weiss," Ruby suddenly whispered, nudging Weiss' elbow gently. Looking away from Blake and Yang - who were following the man across the room - Weiss saw Ruby nod her head towards a small pile of red Dust sitting unattended on a nearby workstation. It was a serious breach of security protocol for it to be there without any supervision, but Weiss highly doubted the infraction was what drew Ruby's interest.

"What do you think'll happen if I sneeze on that?"

Ruby's eyes were twinkling so merrily at the thought that Weiss had to smile.

"Why don't you try it and find out?" she teased in return. Immediately lighting up, Ruby leaned towards the table and sucked in a deep breath. Panicking, Weiss' hand shot out and covered Ruby's mouth before pulling her away from the workstation.

"Don't _actually_ do it!" Weiss yelped while Ruby giggled into her palm. Only when she was sure that Ruby wasn't going to try again did she remove her hand.

"I wasn't actually gonna do it!" Ruby quipped. "I just wanted to see what you'd do. Apparently, you'll adorably freak out!"

A startled scoff slipped out while Weiss' cheeks flushed at the compliment.

"I didn't…'freak out,'" she mumbled, glancing at the ground but immediately looking back to catch Ruby's gleeful laugh. It didn't seem to matter what Ruby was laughing about - the sound always made Weiss' heart jump with happiness.

Plus, she _had_ freaked out a little bit. Red Dust was highly explosive and even that small amount could cause a sizeable explosion if disturbed. Which, obviously Ruby had already known…

"Hey Weiss!"

Across the room, Yang was holding up a box filled with blue-ringed shotgun shells while Blake held several cartridges that would fit into Gambol. "Can we have these?"

When Weiss nodded her head, Yang pumped her fist in victory and grabbed another box off of the assembly line. Her teammates had always loved coming to the factory with her because it meant they got to go home loaded with Dust bullets and the newest technology available. For her part, she loved being able to set her friends free like kids in a candy store - only better, because it involved Dust and not candy.

"Would you like anything?" she asked Ruby. "Sniper bullets are over there."

Ruby's eyes shot in that direction, before moving back to Weiss with open desire in her silver eyes.

"Can I?"

"Of course. Whatever you want. What's mine is -" The phrase caught in Weiss' mouth, but she'd already let too much slip.

"What's mine is yours..." she finished quietly, her mind scrambling for a different subject to lead them too. None came to mind while Ruby's brow furrowed in confusion, before she eventually turned to Weiss with a thoughtful expression.

"You're so generous, Weiss! Thanks for showing us around!"

The gratitude was extremely genuine - one of those rare moments where Ruby appeared to be years older than she actually was. But in a flash, the normal Ruby returned - grinning at the line of bullets. "Do you have any green ones?"

"Over here," Weiss replied, leading them in the right direction while still feeling the weight of appreciation lifting her spirit. In coming here today, she'd wanted to show Ruby an amazing experiment that hardly anyone was blessed enough to see. She'd wanted to show off her importance with their fancy badges and VIP treatment. She'd wanted them to have a good time.

None of her planning had included a desire to be seen as generous, yet that's what Ruby had pulled out of the day. Again, her capacity to find the good in everything, even when Weiss wasn't sure it was there, was astounding. It made her want to become a better person - and next time, she'd plan a trip with generosity in mind.

"Thanks, Weiss!" Yang called out, rejoining them by the high caliber bullets Ruby was gushing over. "Blake and I are heading out again and could use the extra firepower!"

The statement instantly captured Ruby's attention.

"Another hunt? Can I come?"

The hopefulness in the question instantly sent Weiss' heart careening into the pit of her stomach. Another hunt? They'd just gotten back from one that had gone horribly wrong, how could Ruby possibly want to go out again so soon?

Fortunately for Weiss' current mental stability, Yang was shaking her head.

"Sorry, Ruby - this is one of those sneaky hunts. I'm lucky Blake's letting me tag along!"

"You promised to do everything I tell you to," Blake replied with a smug smile. "How could I resist?"

"Oh."

The disappointment on Ruby's face filled Weiss with a host of conflicting emotions, but none more prevalent than regret that anything would stand in the way of Ruby's complete happiness. Yang must have felt the same because she reached out and tapped her sister lightly on the shoulder.

"But hey, how about when I get back we look at some hunts together and pick one you can come on?"

"Ok!" Ruby replied, instantly happy again. "I don't really wanna be sneaking around anyway!"

"Believe me, no one does." Letting out a brief laugh, Yang grimaced at the look on Blake's face and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I mean sneaking is super cool! Like really - really cool."

When Blake shook her head at Yang's attempted apology, Ruby turned to Weiss with a happy smile. She tried to match Ruby's joyfulness, but most likely failed.

They were going to let Ruby pick out another hunt. They were going to take Ruby out into the forest again. The first one hadn't been an isolated occurrence - they were going to make a habit of it. They were going to make Ruby a huntress.

Ruby would be a huntress whether Weiss was ready or not. And she wasn't ready. The idea of accompanying them on another hunt made her blood pressure skyrocket and her palms grow clammy. The first one hadn't exactly gone well and, quite honestly, she probably shouldn't even go with them a second time. But could she really let Ruby go out there without her? They were partners…

"How about we get you a box of each color?" she suggested, temporarily setting aside her distress at the most recent revelation when she noticed the difficulty Ruby was having settling on just one.

"You don't have to do that!"

"I know, but I want to," Weiss replied with an easy grin before flagging down the worker nearest to them. "Can you grab a box of each color for her?" she asked, before adding, "And for those two as well - have everything taken to the lobby for us."

"Of course," the woman said with a nod, but before she could hurry off Weiss reached out to stop her.

"And please have someone deal with the Dust left out on that table over there."

After following Weiss' gaze, the woman's eyes widened in horror, but the instant she opened her mouth to apologize Weiss cut her off.

"It's alright, but please have it taken care of right away."

With a look of relief and another nod, the woman rushed off to fulfill the instructions.

"Are you gonna show us around the rest of this place or what?" Yang goaded the DEB technician who'd walked them down here. The man was flustered by her teasing, probably unsure of what to do when his directions from Winter hadn't included a full factory tour.

"I'm sure it will be fine with Winter," Weiss told him, putting those fears at ease.

"In that case...allow me to take you through a timeline of Dust production," he proclaimed with a grin, waving them after him and hurrying back towards the hall. Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Yang grabbed Blake's hand and walked ahead while Weiss trailed behind with Ruby.

It was customary for the two of them to walk together, but how did Ruby feel about it? Was it easier to walk with Weiss because Yang stayed by Blake's side? Or was there an actual desire for partnership that paired the two of them together?

"What do you do while they're away on hunts?" Weiss asked in order to fill the temporary silence before their guide began speaking again.

"Sleep in, hang out, practice...not much."

Nodding at the answer, Weiss had a sudden idea that she was immediately hesitant in pursuing. But...if she never reached for the things she wanted, she would end up with nothing in the end.

"If you're not busy, maybe we could spend some time together?" she asked softly.

No matter how quietly she spoke, she still caught Blake's attention with the question - her teammate tilting her head to the side in awareness, but not fully turning around. Maybe she'd asked it wrong, but that didn't matter when Ruby was nodding so emphatically in acceptance.

"I'd love to!"

Overjoyed by the response, Weiss beamed while they headed off on the rest of their tour. When Ruby pulled the candy bar out of her pocket and began munching happily, Weiss couldn't escape the feeling that this was one of the best days she'd had in a very long time. Even though hardly anything had gone as planned, everything had gone exceedingly well.

It was wonderful and amazing to be a part of Ruby's life again. Without any knowledge of their history, Ruby was still able to fill Weiss' life with sunshine and happiness. It seemed like they were friends - like they could one day be good friends - but…

More than ever, Weiss was beginning to wish that Ruby remembered - if not everything, at least how close they'd once been. She didn't need to know all of the little details, but what if she could look at Weiss and think…'that's my partner.' What if the reason they walked side-by-side and the reason they accompanied each other on hunts could be laid out in the open?

Was that too much to ask? Was it too soon to even consider such a topic?

Weiss meant what she'd told her sister earlier that day - that Ruby would still accept her if she was crazy. But would Ruby accept her if she was...herself?


	20. Chapter 20

**Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the continuation of this very long story. Thank you to everyone following, reviewing, and a special thank you to those signed up on P/atreon! I hope you all realize how much I appreciate the support. It makes my hours and hours spent writing after a full day of work worth it.**

 **So truly, thank you.**

* * *

After briefly rubbing her tired eyes, Ruby blinked and then blinked again - trying to get the tiny object in her hand to come into better focus. It'd be a whole lot easier if it weren't so dang small! Like, seriously, why were small things the coolest? It made them so friggin' difficult to work on!

Taking a big breath, she let it out in one smooth exhale while carefully layering another swipe of paint - her hand steady while a thin line appeared against a background of dark grey. Taking another breath, she blew softly on the fresh paint so it would dry before she set everything down on the workbench.

Perfect!

It was really tough to make such little lines, but she'd figured out how to do it after a whole bunch of practice. 'A whole bunch' meaning pages and pages of trial swipes done just to make sure that one itty bitty line would look great. But it did, so the sleep hours devoted to drawing _instead of_ sleeping had been worth it.

And, for not having a heck of a lot of time, her latest project had turned out a lot better than expected. Maybe because her inspiration was better than usual. Or maybe because _she_ was better than usual!

That was definitely something Yang would say. But Yang wasn't here right now, so Ruby got to say it! Er...think it.

It wasn't very long ago that she'd kind of dreaded the days her big sister would leave for hunts, but this time had been different. Without Yang around, the house was actually...quiet. It was really weird, but also kind of nice. If anything, it gave Ruby the chance to work on her projects without her sister barging in and throwing random objects at her. Although she missed the candy - it wasn't so bad when Yang would throw candy into the garage. That was the best! It just wasn't as great when Yang threw things like lemons or pieces of cheesecake. It was really hard to catch cheesecake without smearing it everywhere...

Yang and Blake had left last night after dinner, but would hopefully be back soon. Using her novice interrogation skills (she was still learning from Blake), Ruby had managed to pry the hunt details from Yang like a hot knife slicing through warm butter. Or...well, basically it had been really easy to get Yang to talk. Like bribing a parrot with a carrot. Heh, that rhymed.

But Blake and Yang had picked up an 'assassinate' contract - the kind Blake loved to do. Ruby could see why - they sounded awesome! Basically, certain Grimm were so smart and deadly that they'd earn themselves a nickname - a cool one like 'Deathdealer' or 'Ten Claws' or 'The Vanisher.' The goal of an assassinate contract was to hunt down and destroy these overly powerful and aggressive Grimm. Wipe them off the face of Remnant!

This particular contract was for an Ursa who'd grown a bit too well known near the outskirts. His name was - and Ruby had thought Yang was teasing her until she saw the name with her own eyes - The Hugger. The Hugger! That didn't sound like a deadly Ursa - it sounded like a character from some kids' cartoon show!

Or just a cartoon show, because cartoons weren't exclusively for kids. In fact, people of _all_ ages could watch cartoons. Not just kids. And watching cartoons didn't make someone childish. _Adults_ could watch cartoons - cartoons with characters named The Hugger.

When Ruby asked how they'd know they'd found this super deadly bear hugger, Blake had almost _too_ calmly answered that it'd be whichever one tried to hug Yang. It was funny because sometimes Blake could be really possessive about _people_ getting too close to Yang, but didn't seem to care much when it came to Grimm. If anything, it kind of sounded like Yang was going to be bait for this contract.

Tracking a Grimm through the forest at night though...that sounded like a lot of fun! Ruby wished she could've gone, but she also knew she was a little clumsy and wasn't sure she could stay quiet for that long. She didn't know how _Yang_ could stay quiet for more than a few minutes at a time!

Because Blake and Yang had to _find_ the Grimm before they could kill it, they had no idea when they'd get back. It could be next week; it could be in a few minutes - it all depended on how quickly they could track and dispose of the beast. Theoretically, they could be gone for _years_ \- stuck out in the forest, eating berries and tree bark to survive…but Yang had sounded pretty confident that they wouldn't be gone for long. She'd even made a joke about how Ruby should make dinner for them, as if they'd want to eat undercooked noodles and raw vegetables after they'd been up all night.

Staying at home wasn't so bad though. It meant Ruby didn't have to eat tree bark _and_ it had given her enough time to finish a spur of the moment idea she'd had. Unfortunately, being spur of the moment didn't mean this project was quick and easy. It was actually the opposite of that - never-ending and horribly challenging. But she'd been determined! Determined enough that she'd skipped her last few practices - something she hadn't done in months. Ordinarily, she'd feel guilty about skimping out on her training, but Yang said it was ok to take a little break after a hunt to rest and recuperate.

Sitting on the edge of her seat, Ruby leaned over the bench to look at what she'd just created - being extra careful not to touch it for the next few minutes while the paint dried. When a big yawn slipped out, she covered her mouth with one hand and blinked several times to knock the exhaustion away.

The little project looked pretty good, but the most important question was - would she like it?

When Ruby's scroll buzzed beside her face, she jumped out of the seat in surprise and knocked her knee into the workbench with a loud bang.

It was Weiss though!

Hopping on one leg while rubbing her broken knee, Ruby grabbed the scroll and was immediately disappointed.

It wasn't Weiss. It was a message from Yang - a picture.

Resuming her perch on the chair, Ruby opened the message and found a picture taken through a heavily wooded area. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than trees and bushes and leaves, which was totally something Yang would do. Send a photo and get Ruby all excited…

Ah! But there _was_ something! If she squinted her eyes, she could barely make out a black shape in the distance. Zooming in on that spot, the caption of 'huggin' time!' suddenly made a lot more sense. If that was a regular sized tree right next to the black blob, then that was a _big_ Ursa. Big, big, big Ursa. They should've called him Jumbursa. No, that was lame. But not as lame as The Hugger!

She knew better than to respond right away, but her heart was pounding from just looking at the photo and knowing that Yang and Blake were, right at this moment, within shouting distance of the monster. While Ruby was safe at home, they were getting into a huge fight. It was weird...she felt like she should be out there with them, but she also knew that they could take care of each other.

Hearing two knocks on the front door, she instantly leaped to her feet and yelped when both of her knees crashed into the bench this time, nearly knocking everything over. Squealing, she managed to catch her newest prized possession, steadying it on its stand before dashing into the house and flying to the front door. Not even checking through the window to see who was outside, she threw the door open and grinned.

"Weiss!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling Weiss into a hug that was returned with one arm.

One of these days Weiss would hug properly - which meant using both arms! A full circle! Although it probably didn't help that she was currently carrying a brown paper bag in one hand...

"Hi, Ruby. I hope you don't mind, but I brought you some food," Weiss replied with a timid smile, holding out the bag.

"Why would I mind?" Ruby asked in confusion while accepting the bag.

"Oh. Well, that's just - I didn't _actually_ think that you would - it's a saying."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at Weiss' adorably flustered response, which only made Weiss look even more unsure of what to say next.

"How about - I brought you some food," she finally concluded, her eyes searching Ruby's to see if that had cleared up the miscommunication.

"Well, I hope you don't mind if I _accept_ the food I don't mind that you brought me," Ruby replied while unfurling the top of the bag. "You really didn't have to - oh! Spaghetti! That's my favorite!"

The comment made Weiss smile while she followed Ruby into the kitchen. Setting the bag on the table, Ruby pulled out the containers and gave them a second and third glance. It didn't take a master-level detective to figure out that they hadn't come from any restaurant she'd ever been to.

"Did you make this?" she asked, which only made Weiss look embarrassed.

"Yes, I did."

Homemade spaghetti! From Weiss! That was a gift Ruby _really_ didn't mind!

"You can cook?" she asked in complete amazement. "Wow, is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"Many things," Weiss answered so sincerely that Ruby chuckled.

"Yeah right...tell me one thing you can't do!"

Searching for an answer, Weiss looked into Ruby's eyes while her mouth opened, but no words came out.

"See? You can't even think of anything!" Ruby pointed out happily. Finally smiling, Weiss shook her head.

"I can't catch butterflies."

Bursting into laughter at the memory, Ruby quickly stuck the containers into the fridge so she could turn back to Weiss. "But you looked so cute trying!"

Ah - that word! It just slipped out. Could she use that word with Weiss? Yeah? No, she could play it off.

"I can't cook at all," she added quickly, changing the subject like a pro. "But I'm great at cutting things up! Yang calls me the Super Chopper."

Waving her hands through the air in a chopping motion, she beamed when Weiss chuckled.

"Well that's perfect - every chef needs a sous chef to prepare ingredients for them."

"Then I can be your sous chef?"

"Absolutely."

For a long time, the two of them shared a smile - _probably_ the longest one they'd shared yet - before Weiss finally turned away and coughed into her hand.

"So...what have you been up to while Blake and Yang are away?"

"I've been keeping myself busy! Working on another project and enjoying the silence," Ruby replied with another small laugh. "They might be back tonight though, so it's not so bad."

"You don't mind having the house to yourself?"

"It's awesome! I can do whatever I want!" After spinning in a quick, semblance-fueled circle, Ruby planted her feet and caught one of her petals out of the air when she came to an abrupt stop. "I used to get kinda lonely or bored when they left for a few days," she admitted. "But it's not so bad anymore."

This time she'd actually been _excited_ for her two roommates to leave. The front door had hardly closed before she'd messaged Weiss to see when she could come over. And then the front door had reopened because Yang had forgotten something, so she'd caught Ruby texting and gotten in a few lame jokes before actually leaving.

"But now when they leave we can hang out, right?" Ruby shot Weiss a hopeful look before quickly adding, "I mean, if you're not busy."

"I can always make time for you."

The effortless reply made Ruby's cheeks warm right up. It made her feel special when Weiss said things like that! Like she'd actually try to _create_ time for Ruby, if it came to that. And the way Weiss said it was so simple, like _of course_ she would do that - because why wouldn't she go through the effort of doing something impossible just to hang out with Ruby?

"Great! Then I hope they go on a lotta hunts," Ruby said before stifling a yawn and rubbing her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Weiss' eyes were openly concerned as she asked the question, so Ruby rubbed her eyes again to remove some of the tiredness Weiss must be seeing - only for another yawn to slip out.

"Yeahhh just a little tired!" she said after her yawn had passed. Staying up all night tended to do that to a person.

"Did you not sleep well? Is it your wrist? Did you take anything for it?"

Giggling at all the questions, Ruby shook her head. It was sweet how Weiss fretted over something so simple, but the worry was unnecessary.

"Naw, just stayed up too late!"

The answer was made of fudge. Technically Ruby had stayed up until this moment - which was quite late (in her opinion).

"Do you want to get some sleep? I could always come back later -"

"No, it's ok! I'm feeling great!" Ruby yelped before forcing a wide grin.

Weiss couldn't leave yet - she'd just gotten here! Plus, Ruby felt fine! Sure, she was tired and had a bit of a headache, but it was just one of those vague tired headaches - like when your head is squishing your brain a little too hard. Being too tired must make your skull shrink...either that or makes your brain bigger!

She could always take a nap later, but right now she had something for Weiss.

"Oh! I have something to show you!"

Even though she'd been thinking about it since Weiss had knocked on the door, Ruby tried to make it sound like she'd just remembered it. That way it would seem like no big deal - because it wasn't really. It was just…a normal deal.

Waving Weiss after her, Ruby made her way back into the garage, where she'd spent practically all of her time since their visit to the Dust factory. Which had been amazing and so much cooler than Ruby had ever expected. And so, so thoughtful – like, wow, Weiss had really gone out of her way to make sure they had a great time.

Because Weiss had done something so nice for them, Ruby wanted to give Weiss something nice in return. So she'd been hard at work! That meant she'd stayed up a little later than she should have - or hadn't slept at all - but it was worth it! Or it _would_ be worth it if Weiss liked what Ruby had created - which was still resting on top of the workbench where she'd left it. By now the paint would be dry, so she didn't hesitate reaching over to pick it up and hold it out to Weiss.

It was a little nerve-wracking! Weiss was so amazing and obviously had enough money to buy anything she wanted, so the idea of giving her a gift was kind of stressful...stressful enough to make Ruby's heart beat really, really fast.

"What do you think?" she asked, dropping the tiny object into Weiss' hand.

"Wow...Ruby, this is spectacular…" Weiss whispered while holding the shiny object carefully between her thumb and forefinger, rotating it gently so it caught the light in the garage just right.

It was just a little ring, but Ruby had made it from scratch!

The band had been the easiest part - repurposing a nice dark grey metal that had welded together smoothly. Along the outer surface, Ruby had painted a single vine of thorns, but the thorns were in the same shade of white-blue as Weiss' glyphs. Against the dark grey metal, they popped way better than red or black would have.

"You made the entire thing, I'm guessing?"

"Uh, yeah. The band is from an old sword, and I just finished the painting before you got here," Ruby answered, wringing her hands while Weiss continued to look over the ring.

"It's beautiful," Weiss finally said, the reply making Ruby grin while her heart thundered in her chest.

"I'm glad you like it! Because...uh...well, I made it for you."

Running one hand through her hair, a nervous smiled tugged at her lips when light blue eyes shot up to hers.

"I can change the design if you want," she added when Weiss said nothing in response. "I've just been drawing thorns everywhere since naming my glove. Yang keeps making jokes about how 'prickly' I've been." Ruby rolled her eyes at the lame joke. "But I wanted to give you something as a 'thank you' for showing us around your family's factory. It was really fun!"

From the way Weiss was staring, she was at a loss for words. It was only when Ruby shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the silence that Weiss opened her mouth to speak.

"You didn't have to do this…"

"I know! I wanted to. I had fun making it, too."

When Weiss' eyes fell back to the ring in her hands and searched the inside of the band, Ruby held her breath. Spinning it in a slow circle while examining it closely, Weiss eventually turned it back over, and Ruby couldn't help but grin.

She _might_ have taken a page out of the book of the person who'd worked on Myrtenaster and hidden a word on the interior where the two pieces seamed together. It had taken hours of practice before she'd gotten good enough to make the tiny letters somewhat legible, but she'd eventually figured it out. And apparently she'd done a good enough job that Weiss couldn't see it - score one for Ruby Rose!

"I don't know what to say…" Weiss whispered towards the ring in her hands before looking up and meeting Ruby's eyes. "Thank you. This might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me..."

"I'm really glad you like it! Here I was all worried…" Ruby let out a small chuckle at how silly her fears seemed now.

"I love it, Ruby."

Weiss looked directly into Ruby's eyes as she said the words, making Ruby's heart do a silly little double beat that felt just as weird as it sounded. She'd hoped that Weiss would _like_ it. _Loving_ it was way better.

"But don't feel like you've gotta wear it or anything!" Ruby hurried out before Weiss could feel any pressure to do so. "You can always put it in a drawer or something - I won't be upset!"

Biting her lip, Weiss thought about the words for several seconds before she slipped the ring onto her finger and gently wiggled it around.

"It fits perfectly," she remarked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "How did you know my ring size?"

"Oh, you know, I have this super scientific way of figuring out someone's ring size," Ruby bolstered before letting out a giggle. "It's called 'Ruby's Art of Guessing!'"

Her laughter made Weiss chuckle softly along with her.

"But I figured your hands are, uh, more _delicate_ than mine, so I used my ring and then made yours a bit smaller!" she explained, briefly holding up the ring around her neck to prove her point. "Oh, and the best part!" Moving around Weiss, Ruby grabbed Thorn from his stand and pulled the glove over her hand. "Ok - give me a high five!"

Curious, Weiss held up her hand and reached towards Thorn. The moment the ring and glove were in close enough proximity, the thorns painted on each illuminated - the vibrant ice-blue popping out against the dark gray backgrounds.

"Luminescent paint!" Ruby exclaimed, clasping her hand around Weiss' so the heightened color wouldn't fade away. "Isn't it cool? It's purely cosmetic, but ya know, totally worth it."

"That's...amazing…" Weiss replied softly, intertwining her fingers with Ruby's while staring at the thorns glowing brightly.

Ruby watched Weiss' reaction with a grin, their hands still locked together. She'd had to repaint Thorn since she hadn't used the same paint the first time around, but it was worth it. Now she and Weiss had a cool friend thing! If they went on more hunts together, people could give them a cool nickname - like The Glowing Thorns or The White Thorns. Or they could be officially lame and go with The Huggers. Ha. Grimm beware…

Still undecided on a nickname, Ruby's attention flitted back to Weiss when she suddenly slipped her hand away and rubbed both hands up and down her arms with a barely noticeable shiver.

"Are you cold?" Ruby immediately asked.

"Um...just a little."

"It gets cold out here. Come on - I'll get you something warm to wear!"

"It's really -"

"No no, don't say it's ok!" Ruby interrupted while heading towards the door to the house. Turning around, she grinned at the perplexed expression on Weiss' face. "You're cold, so I'm getting you a jacket or sweater or something! You can either wait here or come with me!"

Taken aback, Weiss blinked several times before finally nodding her head.

"Then lead the way."

Chuckling at Weiss' acquiescence, Ruby walked inside - tugging Thorn off her hand and tossing him onto the kitchen table while they walked by it. Making it to her room, she gently kicked open the door with one foot and gestured towards her bed.

"You can sit if you want," she offered, before heading to the closet to find some warmer clothing to lend her friend.

If she had to guess, Weiss would like something super trendy and fashionable. In other words, nothing Ruby owned. But she couldn't let Weiss be cold! There had to be _something_ that would kinda...maybe...sorta…well, a great lesson to be learned right now was that Weiss had a different taste in fashion than Ruby did. So...her favorite one would have to do!

Grabbing the red and black jacket and spinning around – her headache giving a slight twinge of complaint as she did so - Ruby found Weiss perched on the very edge of the bed like she didn't know how to sit there. Her back was super straight, her hands were in her lap, and her hair draped over one shoulder. Maybe she felt uncomfortable, but she looked like a princess.

"Here you go!" Holding up the jacket, Ruby waited for Weiss to stand and then helped her into the sleeves. It was a little big on her - the sleeves too long and the shoulders too big - but it was kind of cute the way it enveloped her.

Ah! That word again! At least Ruby hadn't said it out loud this time. Wait - she hadn't said it out loud the first time...had she?

"Sorry, it probably smells like roses," she apologized when she noticed Weiss lower her nose towards the collar. "I can never get the smell out of my stuff! It's like permanent perfume. Permafume."

Letting out a small scoff of amusement, Weiss gave Ruby one of the best smiles she'd received yet.

"Don't be sorry. I love the smell."

The words made Ruby's cheeks pleasantly warm while Weiss turned her gaze down to the cuffs of the jacket.

If Weiss loved the smell of roses, that was great! For Ruby. Probably not for people who didn't always smell like roses.

"At least it beats smelling like I just jumped out of a burning building like Yang does!" Ruby joked at her sister's expense, earning another surprised laugh from Weiss.

"If I'm not mistaken, Blake loves that smell," Weiss replied with a smirk.

"Oh yeah. Something about how it smells like 'home.'" Laughing a little, Ruby shook her head. "Those two are so weird."

"At least they have each other."

"That's right! Every weirdo must have a matching weirdo, right?"

"You're right," Weiss agreed, smiling back at Ruby. Again their eyes stayed locked for a few seconds before Weiss abruptly turned away in favor of staring at the ground.

Maybe Ruby wasn't the _best_ at social interactions, but she was more interesting than the _ground_ , right? Seriously, the carpet was just carpet. It was a kinda gray, kinda blue color that probably had a weird name like 'afternoon sky' or 'inky clay.' The little whatchamacallits - the fabric part that stuck up - were super soft though. They felt really nice when she wasn't wearing any socks! There was also a small patch hidden underneath the bed that had gotten an itsy bit burned by complete accident. Yang had wondered why Ruby decided to rearrange her room so suddenly...

Ok, maybe the carpet was kind of interesting - but not as interesting as she was!

Determined not to be outdone by the flooring, Ruby grabbed the desk chair and spun it around so she could sit in front of Weiss.

"Did you get to hang out with your sister while she was here?" she asked, happily noting that Weiss was subconsciously playing with the newly appointed ring on her finger, but the question made her let go and return her attention to Ruby.

"Yes, we had dinner before she returned to Atlas."

"I hope you had fun!"

"It was...great," Weiss answered with a thoughtful nod and small smile. "I wasn't expecting to see her, so that was a nice surprise."

"Yeah! For me too!" Ruby replied. "I mean, I didn't even know you _had_ a sister, so that was the surprise. And the nice part was, um...her. She seems super nice!"

Nice, and pretty, and kind of stern. A bit intimidating, actually.

"She is. She supported me growing up...I owe her a great deal."

"Aren't older sisters the best?" Ruby asked with a smile that Weiss returned.

"They are. You happen to have a great one, yourself."

"I do! Yang's awesome."

"She is…" Weiss replied softly. "She cares so much about you too."

Growing up, Ruby had never questioned her sister's love for her. It was always her and Yang against the world - whether it was the actual world or some pretend universe they made up.

"I know she does. With my injuries and stuff, she really went out of the way to help me get better. One day I want to make it up to her! I have no idea how, but I'll figure somethin' out."

Ruby knew that sacrifices had been made in order to help her recover. Of course, with the way Yang was, she'd never mention them. So Ruby had no idea what they were, but she knew they must be there. No one devoted a year of their life to helping another person go through rehab without missing out on something for themselves.

"Well, if you ever figure that out, let me know. I'm still trying to make things up to her, myself," Weiss added with a self-depreciating shake of her head that made Ruby frown.

"Is she still being mean to you?"

Yang had said that she'd try to be kinder to Weiss…but Ruby would talk to her sister again if she needed to.

"Actually, she's been a bit more...tolerant...recently. But something is still really...broken between us." Pausing, Weiss sighed and shook her head. "I know I hurt her, but I want to make it up to her. I have to. We used to be so close."

"I'm sure she'll give you another chance! She has no reason not to when you're here making an effort!"

"Well, I think I've finally learned that running away fixes nothing. It only leaves the wounds to fester…" Brow furrowing, Weiss was silent for some time before sighing and meeting Ruby's gaze with mournful eyes. "It was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. I don't know if I'll ever stop regretting it, but hopefully, I can find a way to overcome it."

The biggest mistake she'd ever made? What _was_ it? The biggest mistake Ruby ever made had landed her in the hospital with some pretty serious boo-boos and quite a few missing memories. But that seemed like a completely different type of mistake. The way Weiss looked right now made it seem like she'd done something _horrible_. But, to Ruby, it seemed impossible that Weiss was capable of anything _that_ bad.

Maybe it was kind of bad, or maybe Weiss was just really hard on herself. Whichever it was, Ruby didn't care. What she cared about was how _sad_ Weiss looked right now.

"I'm sure you'll overcome it," Ruby replied confidently, leaning forward and _nearly_ reaching over to grab one of Weiss' hands before stopping and tugging on her necklace instead. "And I'm sure you had a good reason to leave!"

"But she gave me the chance to come back. I just...I couldn't do it…"

"But you did! You did do it! Unless...are you a hologram?" Reaching out, Ruby lightly poked Weiss in the shoulder. "No, you're real! And you're in Vale, so you did come back!"

"It took me so _long_ though -"

"So? What matters is that you did it," Ruby said. "You've gotta let go of how long it took, Weiss. You're here now, and that's what matters. It's like my mom used to say -" Scrunching up her face, she searched for the exact wording, so she didn't mess this up. "Mistakes don't define you - your reactions to them do."

When Weiss stared at her thoughtfully, Ruby kept talking.

"Basically, you made a mistake, but did it make you a better person in the end?"

"I...don't know. I hope so."

Weiss was clearly unconvinced, so Ruby decided it was time to do some _ultra_ convincing.

"Like, look at this!" she said, holding out her wrist so Weiss could see the scar running all the way across it on both sides. "Clearly, a mistake was made. But I'm not going to be Ruby Rose - injured girl, forever. I train really hard every day so that I _won't_ be that person."

After briefly glancing at Ruby's wrist, Weiss turned away and bit her bottom lip in thought.

"We get to choose our reactions to our problems," Ruby continued. "That's the great thing about life! Maybe it took you a long time, but _you_ chose to come back, Weiss. Running away can't define you anymore, because that's not how the story ends."

While Ruby grinned at her hopefully-successful argument, Weiss stared for a long, long time while processing the information. It looked like she was going to disagree, but eventually, with a partial smile, she seemed to concede - for now.

"How did you become so...strong?"

"I'm not though!" Ruby answered with a laugh, holding up her left hand and wiggling her fingers. Without Thorn, her left hand was still injured - and she was beginning to realize that her full strength might never come back. Fortunately, she'd found a way to compensate for her weaknesses and then some.

However, Weiss shook her head at the response.

"You are," she insisted. "You're the strongest person I've ever met. I still don't know how...how did you work your way back so quickly from your injuries? They were so serious...from what you've told me. And with your memories...it must've been so difficult."

"Yeah, I guess it was...the beginning especially, but I had a lot of help!"

"Yang?"

Ruby nodded.

"Yang and Blake encouraged me, and I tried to keep my spirits up. My mom helped too - it felt like she was trying to talk to me all the time, reminding me not to give up. Oh, and can't forget my secret source of power!"

Looking in both directions like she was about to disclose top secret information, it was only when she found the coast was clear that she leaned forward and held her necklace up in between them.

"Tada!" she exclaimed. It was supposed to be a big reveal, but Weiss only looked confused - glancing between the ring and Ruby several times.

"Your...ring?"

"It's not _just_ a ring!" Ruby stated matter-of-factly, spinning the necklace around so she could fumble with the clasp. "It's also filled with magical powers!"

Since she hardly ever took it off, she was less than skillful in getting the itty bitty fastener to open, but after several failed attempts she was finally successful. Letting the necklace fall into one hand, she made a show of slumping her shoulders at the same time.

"Oh...yeah...I feel weaker already…" she tried to say in a tired voice while sliding the ring off of the chain and holding it out to Weiss. "You can feel it – it's like there's an invisible power in this ring."

Even though Ruby was holding the ring in between them, Weiss seemed extremely hesitant to take it.

"Don't worry, it's not one of those buzz rings or anything," Ruby assured her. Finally convinced, Weiss held out her hand, and Ruby dropped the ring into it. Curling her fingers around the small band, Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Can you feel it?" Ruby asked in a whisper, watching Weiss intently. When Weiss opened her eyes, crystal blue seemed to be looking deep into Ruby's heart.

"It's important to you," Weiss remarked softly, uncurling her fingers and looking down into the palm of her hand.

"Yup!"

With a small smile, Weiss gave the ring one last glance before extending it back to Ruby.

"I guess the answer is that I had a lot of people looking out for me," Ruby explained while accepting the ring and sliding it back onto its chain. "Yang, Blake, my mom, and the one thing from my past that feels...powerful in a way. They all kept me going."

Stringing the necklace around her neck, she fumbled with the clasp several times before giving up and holding it out to Weiss.

"Can you help me? I haven't taken this off in months, so I kinda suck at putting it back on."

Nodding, Weiss took both ends of the necklace in her hands while Ruby turned around. Carefully lowering the chain, Weiss gently fastened it in place - drawing a round of goosebumps when her fingers lightly grazed the back of Ruby's neck. When Ruby turned around, Weiss moved the ring so it was sitting perfectly in front - holding onto it for a few seconds longer while staring at it intently.

"Who's it from?" she asked.

The question made Ruby's brow burrow.

"I'm actually not sure," she answered truthfully.

"You've never asked?"

"Naw...Blake said she'd tell me, but…" Ruby shrugged one shoulder and gave Weiss a small smile. "Is it important where it came from? Or that when things sucked, it made me feel better?"

Weiss opened her mouth, but said nothing for a long time until finally muttering, "I guess...that it made you feel better…"

"But I have a sneaky hunch it's from my partner," Ruby admitted. The words made Weiss' eyes widen in surprise.

"Your partner?"

"Yeah, I know we had a fourth teammate - every team at Beacon has four," Ruby explained, rubbing her forehead as sleep deprivation continued to weigh on her, pressing behind her eyes in a super annoying way. "But Yang hasn't told me much about her, and I haven't asked. There was just...so much else to focus on. I don't know. All I know is that whoever she was, she was really cool."

The revelation seemed to catch Weiss completely by surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"That's one of the only things Yang told me!" Ruby explained, briefly closing her eyes while trying to recall Yang's words around the stupid, growing headache. "She said…that our teammate was one of the most talented fighters she'd ever seen. And was super smart - like the brains of the whole operation."

"She said that?"

Ruby nodded. "Yup! 'We got the smartest in school,' she said."

"But you never wanted to know who it was?"

"Of course I wanted to know! I still do. There were so many times I almost looked it up myself...because I'd love to meet her. She sounds amazing, but…" her words trailed off as a familiar twinge pulled at her heart.

It was a decision she'd made a long time ago and stuck with to this day.

"But what?" Weiss prodded, her eyes searching Ruby's for whatever was going to come next.

"But she's not here, is she?" Ruby finally answered, temporarily drawn back to the times when she hadn't had enough energy for anything - when getting out of bed might be the best thing she could accomplish in a day. "If I wanted to get better, I couldn't dwell on the past. So I decided to focus on the here and now. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to meet her if...I mean...if she's still..."

They'd reached the root of the matter - something she was too scared to ask, yet quietly desperate to know. But if she could share this worry to anyone, it was Weiss.

"If she's...still alive, you know?"

Weiss' response was one of pure shock. For a second, her mouth hung slightly open with no sound coming out before finally speaking.

"But what makes you think she's not?"

Raising one hand to clutch the ring around her neck, Ruby shook her head – and paid for it with another pang in her forehead, this one sharper than the last.

There were a lot of reasons why she'd avoided her past for such a long time. It was confusing. It was scary. It made her feel vulnerable and small.

And it would've been impossible to move on if she remained stuck in the past. Being able to let go and move on had been important. But, beyond all of those things, something was lurking in the fog that was really painful. Whenever she thought about it, her chest tightened with this ache that only went away through distraction. There was _something_ surrounding her partner that hurt, even with no memories of who they were.

It was the part of her past that eluded her most. Some days she wanted the answers but was terrified to know them. The way Blake and Yang dodged around the subject only made her more nervous to know what the truth might be. So she'd avoided the topic altogether - content to deal with more important matters and live in blissful ignorance. One day she'd probably figure everything out, but she wasn't in any hurry for that day to arrive.

"I've always felt like someone or something important to me was missing," Ruby tried to explain. "It's kinda difficult to describe, but...it must be her, right?"

"But to think she died -?"

"It's either that or she left and has no interest in speaking to me, or us." Either of those answers kind of sucked - enough to bring tears to her eyes as a sense of loss grew in her chest. Sniffing once, she tried to play it off by rubbing her tired eyes.

This was part of the reason why she avoided thinking about the wall of fog sealing her off from those memories. It made her way too emotional!

"I'm pretty sure the ring is hers," she whispered, briefly scrunching her eyes closed when another quick jab of pain appeared over her left eye. "That's why it's so powerful," she continued, opening her eyes and shaking off the exhaustion. "It's a huntress' ring. And that's why I always kept it near me. Honor her memories even if I don't have them, ya know?"

Picking up the ring again, Ruby looked down at it the best she could while it was still hanging around her neck.

"Maybe she's not in my life anymore, but she helped me get through some rough times without even being here. If I ever get to meet her...and I hope I do, you know? I hope I'm wrong. But if I ever get to meet her, I want to thank her for that. For leaving me with something that helped me through."

Smiling, Ruby looked up only to find that Weiss was staring back with tears growing in her eyes.

"Weiss?" Ruby yelped in concern, quickly moving over to the bed and sitting by Weiss' side. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"I'm -" Choking up, Weiss stopped and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Just...hearing you say that…I didn't realize..."

"Hey, it's ok." Consoling Weiss, Ruby made sure to smile to prove that she was just fine. Because she was. This was something she'd come to terms with a while ago. "It's just one of those things, you know? That's why I try not to think about it too much!"

"Yes, but…"

When Weiss' lip quivered, Ruby reached out and pulled her into a hug that again made her stiffen. Only this time she eventually gave in and returned the hug in full, wrapping both arms around Ruby and pulling her closer.

"I'm sorry," Weiss murmured, burying her face into Ruby's shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Ruby replied softly, rubbing one hand up and down Weiss' back. "I'm probably just overthinking it anyway. Maybe she decided to go off on her own after school and no one's heard from her since. Maybe we were never that close. Or maybe I bought the ring for myself!"

Her sense of loss could come from not having access to _any_ of those memories, not over some specific person or thing. The ring might only symbolize the years she'd lost - a tiny, pretty reminder that she could carry with her everywhere.

Maybe she should consider that her story might be a little sad to people who were hearing it for the first time. Just because she'd accepted what had happened to her didn't mean that others were on the same page as her. But it was really sweet that Weiss was so sympathetic!

Savoring the hug, Ruby gave Weiss a gentle squeeze to try to comfort her even more. Now, _this_ was a good hug. Firm yet comfortable. Open and accepting. This was how a hug was supposed to be.

It was only a few more moments before Weiss pulled back and looked at Ruby for what felt like a long time - her hands resting softly on Ruby's knees. If Ruby could look into Weiss' mind right now, she could probably see the wheels turning full speed - coming up with an answer to some question Ruby had never asked.

The next second, Weiss abruptly stood up.

"Ruby, I need to tell you something," she said, immediately pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

The sight made Ruby feel a strange twinge of anticipation - like something really significant was about to be revealed. If she was right, that would be amazing. The possibility of getting another glimpse into Weiss' thoughts made her both hopeful and excited at the same time.

"I'm listening," Ruby said, standing up as well. The moment she did so, there was another prick of pain in her temple that caused her to temporarily close her eyes and wait for the feeling to pass, but it only slightly went away this time. Thankfully, Weiss hadn't noticed, but Ruby might need to get some sleep soon…

"There's something I've wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure how you'd respond -" Weiss was saying quickly, pacing the small room and not daring to glance Ruby's way. "I know it took me a long time to summon the courage, but I hope that telling you now counts for something. Because I need you to know."

Standing in the middle of the room, Ruby remained as motionless as possible. She didn't want to move because the room had kind of started to spin. The tired tension in her forehead was getting a little harder to ignore, and she was growing increasingly light-headed the longer she watched Weiss walk back and forth, back and forth.

Something didn't feel right.

"I know you've wondered how Yang and I know each other. From school, but -"

Weiss' words were beginning to fade away as a dull roar crept into Ruby's ears, and a black spot appeared in the center of her vision. She blinked, but it didn't go away - it only got bigger. Probably not a good sign.

"Weiss…" she said, her voice sounding hazy and far away. "I don't feel so good…"

"Ruby? Ruby!"

The last thing she saw were light blue eyes headed her way.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Please watch your step when exiting the airship. Thank you for flying with us today - have a wonderful time in Atlas."_

The doors took far too long to slide open, but the instant they did Weiss stepped through and stalked quickly down the ramp and away from the ship. Unlike the relative calm and quiet that had surrounded her for the entirety of the mentally-tumultuous trip, the large airship terminal beyond the doors was crowded and noisy - filled with other passengers rushing to and from their destinations. Businessmen, businesswomen, families, students...everyone with their own lives and objectives. Everyone with their own stories, their own secrets.

Picking her way amongst the crowd - doing her best to dodge suitcases and slow-moving travelers - she headed towards the exit. Determined to leave this place as soon as humanly possible, she kept her eyes trained straight ahead - refusing to turn her head to take in the sights around her. The never-ending sounds were already becoming an assault on her senses. The incessant drone of thousands of voices speaking at once, the jarring loudspeakers that crackled to life only to blare garbled words before abruptly ending, the cries of unhappy toddlers, one-sided scroll conversations, intermittent laughter...

It may be a normal day in crowded airship terminal, but to her it felt like an onslaught of stimuli attempting - and succeeding - to create rapid spikes in her anxiety.

Clutching a small bag holding only her scroll and a couple methods of payment and identification, she squeezed past a loitering group of students and flinched when they erupted into laughter at some joke she hadn't heard. Her pulse was jumping as she swiftly left them behind, striding against the flow of traffic through a maze of giant corridors that would lead her to the exit.

She knew the way by heart, which was a curse in this situation. Without any need to find directions, her mind was attempting to pull her back to earlier that day...before she'd stepped on the airship in Vale…

This entire time, she'd done her best to bend and bend and bend, trying not to let her inner turmoil show. But suddenly she'd broken. There wasn't any notice. There weren't any warning signs. She thought she was fine – she thought she could _be_ fine – and now it was all gone. Everything had torn apart, like a house made of cards left out in a storm.

That didn't matter right now. Nothing mattered except getting away - away from the people, the noise, the lights and flashes of motion. She needed to escape from everything – everything, including the thoughts burning in her mind, each one more painful than the one prior. The long airship ride had done nothing but allow her time to think about what she was doing - to think about what had suddenly gone horribly, horribly wrong.

But she didn't want to think. She wanted to be far, far away. As far away as she could possibly get.

Halting her steps and making no attempt at a polite smile when a family clogged the doorway in front of her, she followed them through and dodged around as soon as possible. A long line of wide double doors was up ahead, each one swinging open and closed while allowing passengers entrance and exit from the terminal.

Deciding on one that was further from the center of the building and therefore less crowded, she pushed it open and released the cold handle as soon as she walked through. Once outside, she was immediately greeted by a chill hanging in the air that had disappeared from Vale weeks ago.

It was a stark reminder of how far she'd traveled in search of respite - as were her clothes, which she'd so carefully selected this morning, but were now wrinkled and creased from her time aboard the airship. However, being a tad unsightly and moderately cold were the least of her concerns at the moment.

The roadway outside of the station was a never-ending stream of vehicles hastening by to whisk passengers off to their final destinations or slowing to a stop to drop new passengers into the fray. The ceaseless bustle created an overwhelming sense of chaos that enveloped them all – their briefly intertwined lives teetering on the edge of total collapse that could occur at any moment. It would only take one small misstep to bring the entire system tumbling down, producing a logjam of vehicles and pedestrians that would take hours to untangle.

The unending activity had never bothered her before, but today it magnified her jitters. Every person who ventured into her personal space put her on edge as if they were intentionally trying to aggravate her nerves.

Pausing in a temporary pocket of solitude, she took a deep breath in an attempt to still her shaking hands. More than anything else, she needed to maintain her composure, at least for the next few minutes. When she was alone, she could think about...what she'd just done. When she was alone, she could close her eyes and find the beautiful silver that would forever haunt her dreams. When she was alone -

An obnoxiously loud set of suitcase wheels rolled right past her elbow, earning an annoyed glare for the bag's oblivious owner before Weiss made her way towards the valet pickup. Marked in red with a well-dressed employee manning the singular entrance and exit, the cordoned off area was, thankfully, blissfully spacious. Promptly showing her ID and earning a curt nod and "Thank you, Miss," she walked into the private space and shook her hands - as if that might calm her nerves.

When a black limousine pulled to a stop in front of the space, she glanced at the vehicle before turning away. Unfortunately, her driver hadn't arrived yet. He was likely delayed due to the rush of traffic at this time of day. However, that was a variable he was paid to take into consideration, and he must know that it was _always_ better to be early than late.

"- just arrived at the station," an immaculately-dressed woman spoke into her scroll while her driver lifted not one, not two, but three large suitcases from the trunk and set them on the curb. Another employee appeared out of thin air and quickly loaded the bags onto a trolley while the woman began to walk away.

"I'll call you when I get there," she said while passing Weiss, sparing her a second glance that implied vague recognition. "See you soon."

With the bags finally secure, the second employee rushed after the woman and into the terminal as the limousine pulled away from the valet area and rejoined the lines of traffic slowly making their way towards Atlas.

The entire interaction lasted no longer than a minute or two but was a harsh reminder of the world Weiss had been separated from for quite some time.

Wealth...power...status…

It was easy to forget that huntsmen risked their lives to protect a side of society that operated as if they were never in peril. These people were more concerned about whether or not they had the proper outfit for the next royal ball than if Grimm were knocking on the city gates. Weiss had never wanted to be one of them, and she'd done everything in her power to make sure that reality never came to pass. What good had that done though?

Resigned to her indeterminate wait, she picked a remote spot near the curb to remove herself from the vicinity of normal pedestrian traffic. Involuntary shivers ran through her every few seconds but wrapping her arms tightly around herself did little to alleviate them. Every breath of brisk Atlas air bit at her cheeks and nose, an unpleasant reminder that she wasn't supposed to be here.

Truthfully, she'd never enjoyed the cold. It had a way of seeping into bones and freezing from the inside out. It hardened joints, dried out skin, and made everything so very, very brittle…

Her attention was pulled away from the bothersome chill when a black town car with heavily-tinted windows slid to a smooth stop in front of her. No sooner had the vehicle stopped moving did the driver jump out of the front seat and jog around the front of the car to greet her.

"Good evening, Miss," he said while dipping his head in respect. "Terribly sorry I'm late."

"Good evening," she replied politely in return, glancing at the man's credentials to ensure he was who he purported to be. "And that's quite alright. I haven't been waiting long."

Visibly relieved by the lack of a reprimand, his rigid posture relaxed as he glanced around them.

"Shall I get your bags?"

"I don't have any."

If the answer surprised him, he did an excellent job of hiding it. Instead, he gestured towards the waiting vehicle with one hand while pulling the door open with the other. Quickly slipping inside with a quiet "thank you," Weiss made herself comfortable in the backseat - or as comfortable as she could force herself to appear. Thankfully, the heater was already going, so the cabin was pleasantly warm compared to the weather outside.

A few seconds later, the man returned to the driver's seat with a soft _thump_ of the door closing behind him.

"Shouldn't be a long trip," he called back to her while putting the car in drive and pulling away from the sidewalk to rejoin the slew of traffic surrounding the station.

The comment didn't necessitate a response from her, so she didn't give one. Instead, she stared out the heavily-tinted window at the familiar landscape passing by. The ornate terminal, the nearby hotels, the congested roads...it felt like she hadn't been here in a long time, yet nothing seemed to have changed.

Except everything had changed.

The relative solitude of the town car provided little solace due to the man in the front seat - a man paid to perform his duties by Weiss' father. His presence demanded that she maintain her composure for a little while longer. Just a little while, and then she would be...alone.

When her lip quivered at the foreign concept, she bit it and lowered her gaze to her lap, willing herself to maintain control of her emotions.

What had she just done?

When she'd woken up this morning, life had been a mess, but a fixable mess. There had been a plan, or at least some resemblance of one. She'd been filled with determination.

And then...everything fell apart. The situation, which had already been heart-wrenchingly awful, had grown infinite times worse - _unbearably_ worse. Whatever resolve she'd summoned from within the confines of her shattered psyche had been long forgotten - now it felt like the next breath she took might break her into pieces.

 _Don't think about it_ , she told herself as forcefully as possible. _Focus on something else - the buildings. The roads, the cars, Atlas, anything._

This was all her fault.

Closing her eyes and clenching her hands into fists in her lap, she drew in a jagged breath that held the beginnings of a sob of pain.

When she closed her eyes,, she could still see the forest expanding around her. Trees were swaying in the invisible wind while fallen leaves crunched under their feet. Blake was up ahead - nothing more than a dark shadow appearing and disappearing in the shade of the foliage. Yang was beside Weiss - walking as calmly as if they were window shopping at the nearby mall. And if she turned around...

"Do you need to make any other stops?"

Her eyes snapped open at the question, finding the driver glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"No. Please take me straight home."

The word made her flinch in pain.

Atlas may be where she'd grown up, but it had never been her home. Home was less fixed than a single location that could be pointed to on a map. Home was a feeling of belonging, safety, and love. The smell of fresh rose petals...that was home.

For the past few hours, her heart had pounded more fervently than usual - each rapid beat reminding her of what she was running from. In her young life, she'd faced hordes of Grimm - enemies both fearsome and wicked enough to make her skin crawl - and yet, in none of those instances had she ever wanted to turn and run out of fear. She always found the courage to stand her ground unless the situation strategically called for a hasty retreat. Fear never drove her decisions...

But right now, she could feel her flight reflex announcing its forceful presence - controlling her actions - its claws gripped her mind and refusing to let go. Every thought that wavered outside of her immediate surroundings was like a knife tearing through her heart, filling her with an amount of pain she'd never experienced before. Yet, she was finding it difficult to keep her mind away from the place she'd just left behind...the life she'd just forgone.

For the past few weeks, she'd wished that their places could be reversed, but now she wasn't sure that she would wish this agony on her worst enemy - let alone someone she loved so dearly.

Lip quivering when silver eyes appeared in her mind, she dropped her gaze immediately to her lap. A small splash left a wet spot on her clothes which she immediately tried to wipe away - to no avail as the teardrop sank into the fabric. But this was not the time for vulnerability. This was not the time for tears.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she forced her eyes upward and stared out the tinted window at the buildings sliding by. Off in the distance, she could see downtown - the Atlas city center serving as a metropolis of world-class technology and innovation. It was bursting at the seams with the nebulous promise of 'The Future' – Dust-enhanced buildings, Dust-enhanced vehicles, automation, and android advancements clogged every street corner. The citizens spent their days and nights in an endless search for ways to cram more technology into their lives, all under the watchful eyes of the influential conglomerates located here.

Each skyscraper towering into the clouds was the headquarters of one powerful company or another, with the tallest and grandest belonging to her own family. Schnee Tower had been built as a symbol of power, wealth, and importance. Its status as the tallest building in Atlas only cemented the significance Dust played in their society. Without Dust, none of the technology that made day-to-day life possible would exist. And without Schnee Tower, there was no Dust.

At least, that's what her father would like everyone to believe.

Staring at the illuminated Schnee logo in the distance, her stomach suddenly gave an unexpectedly loud grumble. When was the last time she'd eaten? Had she eaten last night? Had she skipped lunch yesterday? Breakfast as well? Maybe that was the reason why her fingers refused to cease trembling...but it wouldn't be any use to try to eat now anyway. The mere thought made her nauseous.

The busy streets and tall buildings fell behind as they made their way into the suburbs, where the houses grew larger and larger the further they traveled from downtown. First, there were apartment buildings packed towards at the edge of the city, then condominium complexes, townhomes, small homes with hardly a few feet between the exterior walls, white picket fence houses with space to grow, and finally...estates whose yards and number of bedrooms seemed to expand exponentially from block to block.

Before she knew it, they were driving down avenues lined with tall pines, sparkling street lamps, and wrought iron gates. There were no houses set at the edge of the road anymore, but rather mansions lying up long, paved drives lit by intricate lanterns. Each building was bigger than the one prior - a silent competition where the loser was forced to suffer the indignity of comments such as 'ah, you live in that _small_ house up the street.'

This was where wealth spent the night, padded by sprawling lawns of ego and garages filled to the brim with excess.

In this neighborhood, there was a mansion set apart from the others - sitting on its own block with towering fencing separating it from the rest of the world. Three stories at its tallest, ten large windows wide, an attached garage with far too many bays, a separate building which served as a casual waste of money while doubling as a guest mansion, a private airship landing pad which she would have used had she not flown commercial, and a set of drivers who stayed on the property around the clock - it was a masterpiece in exuberance. A testament to affluence and power.

It was this estate that made her straighten in her seat while sturdy gates with an intricate letter 'S' curved into the center slowly opened to admit the vehicle to the pristinely-paved driveway.

After hours of traveling, of struggling to maintain her composure - and sometimes failing to do just that - she was almost there. Soon, she could go inside and isolate herself from the rest of the world so no one would ever see the pain and suffering tearing at the edges of her mind.

At least, that was the plan until she saw another black town car already parked by the entrance of the elegant, white mansion. Its presence could only mean one thing…

"Your sister said she'd meet you inside," the driver informed her while pulling to a stop in front of the door. As he got out of the car, Weiss let out a heavy sigh.

Winter. Of course she was here.

When the door was opened for her - welcoming in a gust of cold wind that made her shiver - Weiss stepped out of the vehicle and gave the man a nod of appreciation before walking unflinchingly up the front steps. It didn't matter that her desire to run the opposite direction grew with each stride she took. It didn't matter that one of the last people she wanted to see right now was her sister. The course was already set - she was forced to navigate through it while summoning the last of her willpower.

With hardly a pause to take a deep breath, she pushed open the unlocked front door and was immediately met by a burst of chilled air rather than any resemblance of warmth to take comfort in. It was the marble floors...they were impressive and expensive, which was why they ran throughout the mansion, but also unforgivingly cold. A home couldn't be made of stone…

This house had been granted to her as a graduation gift from her father, as if the origin of such exuberance called for an explanation. A needlessly large, thoughtless piece of real estate in a city where she had no desire to live…at least it gave him the opportunity to brag to his associates about how well he treated his children. They were truly _fortunate_ to have such a _generous_ , _gracious_ man as a father.

Regardless of his intention, it turned out that Weiss would use the house after all. Before today, she had no intention of having anything to do with this place. She'd only been here once before - on the day her father presented it to her - and, most importantly, she'd never been here with any member of her...past life.

This place, while cold and unwelcoming, was mercifully absent of memories. There were no remnants of laughter, jokes, or love within these walls...and that's just the way she wanted it.

In her extended absence, her father paid for the upkeep, as evidenced by the pristine white lilies sitting on top of a dustless marble table shoved against one wall. At least they weren't roses. Thank god they weren't roses.

Taking a deep breath, she found the air was sterile and unfamiliar. There was no lingering warmth, and the lilies did nothing to mask the smell of whatever cleaner had been used in the entryway. There were no coats bursting out of the closet, no trail of forgotten petals on the ground. Every surface was neat and orderly.

This was how Weiss had grown up, and what she'd always expected to find enjoyable, but life had taken her in an entirely different direction. Instead of maintaining the status quo, she'd discovered that there was comfort to be found in a space that was truly _lived_ in.

"I'm home," she called impassively into the massive foyer while shoving the front door closed behind her, preventing any more of the biting cold from slipping inside. Not that it mattered much when the floors themselves gave off their own frosty chill.

Another shiver ran through her, causing her to rub her hands up and down her arms and wish she'd worn a thicker coat. In her haste, she hadn't exactly planned for the change in weather, but she could venture out and buy a new coat as soon as tomorrow. Right now, she just needed to hold herself together for a little while longer...then she could finally be alone.

"Weiss!"

A second later, Winter appeared in the living room doorway and walked over, her face an open expression of concern.

"What happened? Are you alright? In your message, you didn't say what happened -"

"I'm fine," Weiss replied, waving away the hand Winter had extended. The curt response only confused Winter further, her brow furrowing and posture habitually straightening from years of lessons and scoldings.

"What are you doing in Atlas?"

"Father said he could use my help with the new factory," Weiss answered emotionlessly, folding her arms across her chest and staring past Winter's right knee towards the ground.

"The new...Weiss, what's going on? We don't need you here to open the new factory. That's already been taken care of."

Why did Winter have to be here right now? When Weiss had messaged her sister from the airship, it had been so Winter could confirm that the house was still fit for occupation, not...this. This wasn't what Weiss wanted to do right now - she wanted to be alone. She _needed_ to be alone. She wasn't going to be able to hold herself together much longer.

Under Winter's puzzled gaze, she somehow managed to shrug in indifference.

"I came where I was needed."

For a few moments, Winter looked completely taken aback by the comment, her hands extended with her palms facing up in a clear nonverbal request for more information. But Weiss couldn't care about the request. She couldn't care about the growing worry in Winter's eyes. She couldn't care about anything without pulling at the single thread that was keeping her functioning right now.

When it became obvious that Weiss wasn't going to offer anything more without being prodded, Winter dropped her hands and took a half step closer.

"But what about Ruby?"

The name made Weiss flinch as a burst of agony swept through her. Noticing the response, Winter's worry instantly morphed into full-fledged alarm, and caused Weiss to drop her gaze to the ground.

What about Ruby?

What about her. If there were anything Weiss could do, she would still be in Vale. She would still be in the hospital, trying to make things right. But there was no undoing what had been done, not now. Her usefulness, both to her team and to Ruby, had run its course.

"She doesn't need me anymore," Weiss explained in a whisper, biting her lip when she felt it quiver with unshed tears.

"Of course she needs you. You're her partner."

"She doesn't need me there," she repeated more forcefully. Her eyes flashed back to Winter, on the verge of anger that Winter would dare disagree with what Weiss _knew_ was the truth. "I'd only be in the way."

Again, Winter was outwardly baffled by Weiss' replies. And why wouldn't she be? All of Weiss' reasons for remaining in Vale had centered around Ruby - Weiss' world had revolved around her. Yet...here Weiss was...voluntarily leaving her partner behind.

"What happened?" Winter asked, her tone taking on an imploring edge that no one else outside of this room would ever hear. Again, she reached out to Weiss, but Weiss stepped away.

Winter already knew what happened - Weiss had managed to tell her sister in between fits of tears and sobs while in the hospital that very first night. The forest, the hunt, how everything had gone so horribly wrong, how the doctors were fighting to save Ruby's life.

Without Weiss even needing to ask, Winter had been on the next flight to Vale. She'd arrived at the hospital in a flurry of Schnee-backed authority - ensuring that the most skillful doctors were available and working around the clock to keep Ruby alive. They were successful in that goal, but when it became obvious that they'd be forced to wait for Ruby to wake up, Winter had coordinated the very best care possible before finally heading back to Atlas when unavoidable responsibilities called her away.

For her sister's help, Weiss would be forever grateful. She hadn't been in the emotional mindset to handle organizing care while also worrying about Ruby's life. If she'd needed to, she could have done it...but Winter had had a much clearer mind at the time.

In those days, which had been hectic and filled with emotion, Weiss had never been able to tell Winter exactly what had happened, or her role in it. Winter had never asked. Maybe she believed it had been a freak accident - that someone slipped, Ruby made a mistake, or it was merely a stroke of unfortunate luck.

Or maybe she already knew that it was Weiss' fault - that Weiss was the weak link who'd suddenly become responsible for her partner's near demise. Maybe that was the real cause of the sympathy in Winter's eyes...compassion for the shortfalls she'd known were there all along.

"Weiss," Winter said softly, her eyes begging for a forthcoming answer. "What happened?"

Opening her mouth, Weiss managed nothing more than to shut it again and shake her head.

What happened to the days she'd waited day and night by Ruby's side, praying for a miracle? What happened to the hours she'd spent reading to an unresponsive Ruby, stories from those silly cartoon novels she enjoyed so much? In those moments, Weiss had wished so urgently and fervently for Ruby to wake up. Now that she had…

What happened? Weiss finally realized that she couldn't be there anymore. It was too much. Too much. The hospital, the doctors, the hoping and wishing and waiting only to have everything ripped away from her anyway. Life wasn't fair - and there was no more fitting moment than this to prove that point.

"Things have changed," was the most succinct answer she could think of.

"Did she wake up?" Winter asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Struggling to maintain her composure, Weiss curled her fingers into fists and focused on the feeling of her nails digging into her palms rather than the sharp hooks digging into her heart.

"Yes," she answered simply, immediately turning away from the expression of happiness appearing on Winter's face.

"But that's wonderful! They thought it would take a far greater time -"

"Yes, it's wonderful," Weiss cut her sister off, both unable and unwilling to endure hearing how incredible it was that Ruby had beat the odds once again.

If Winter hadn't been bewildered before, she certainly was now.

"Weiss...if Ruby's awake, why aren't you in Vale with her?"

There was an answer to that question, but Weiss couldn't find the strength to say it aloud at this moment. Not when sobs were bubbling up in her chest, threatening to escape as reality set in. Not when her eyes were burning with tears that had been held at bay for far too long. Not when her heart was pounding in her ears, proclaiming its anguish loudly and steadily.

Using every last bit of her resolve, she forced herself to sigh in exasperation.

"It's been...a long day. Can we have this discussion later? I'd really like to get some rest."

Making eye contact for only a split second, Weiss then lowered her gaze to a vein of grey running through the white marble by her left foot. She traced the line away from her before coming back again - ignoring the feeling of her sister's eyes boring into her as if trying to read her thoughts. The silence grew longer and longer, punctuated only by the beating of Weiss' heart in her ears, until Winter finally spoke again.

"I can stay -"

"No," Weiss immediately said, cutting off her sister's offer with a shake of her head that drew the hint of tears to the corners of her eyes. "I want to be alone right now."

"Weiss…"

"I'm fine," she forced out, steeling herself and meeting her sister's gaze. "Please...just go."

Speechless, Winter straightened her shoulders and opened her mouth as if she wanted to press the issue. Weiss waited for the follow-up - a blow that would likely crack the remnants of her resolve. The events of the past couple days had already sent fissures through her mind, and the tears were already building in her eyes...

But then Winter thought better of it and closed her mouth with a frown. The two of them had always been respectful of each other's right to personal space and privacy - it was this respect that made her sadly nod her head and gather herself to leave.

"I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning," she remarked softly, giving Weiss one last pleading look. When Weiss responded with nothing more than a slight tilt of her head, Winter finally gave up with a forlorn sigh.

"Please get some sleep," she whispered on the way out, turning back once before letting herself out of the house and locking the front door behind her.

Fixed in place, Weiss managed a much-delayed nod while listening to the sound of steps walking away from her refuge. A door closed, another door closed, a car started, and then the engine slowly moved down the drive and into the distance. As soon as it was far enough away, the house fell quiet - the type of quiet that made her immediately wish for sound to return.

It was suffocating. She could almost physically feel the silence pressing in on her from all sides, making its way into her lungs and preventing her from fully breathing.

This was what she'd wanted, right? To be alone - to not have anyone witness her pain? To sequester herself from her past life...to seal away the memories...

This was what she'd wanted, but it had been a long time since she'd been alone. She'd forgotten how overwhelming the feeling could be...crushing, even. What she'd thought would be relief was actually a stifling constriction in her chest that hampered her ability to breathe. Her skin tingled as it called out for some form of warmth to give her comfort, but she knew there was no comfort to be found in this place.

It felt like someone was trying to smother her, hardly allowing a heart-wrenching sob past her lips that cut through the silence like a cry for help. Shivers returning, she hung her head and watched a splash of water land on the smooth, marble floor between her feet.

"Don't cry," she scolded herself, forcing her head up and sniffling. "She's going to be just fine without you."

The thought sent more tears spilling over, running down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away.

Ruby would be fine, but what about her? What would happen to her without Ruby? That wasn't supposed to be a question she'd ever to consider, yet here she was...

But her wellbeing didn't matter right now. Ruby was the one who needed to be protected. Ruby needed to be saved. Ruby had gotten a second chance - a fresh start - which would hopefully have a happier ending. Weiss had made her own grave - she would lie in it. She wouldn't linger by Ruby's side only to put her partner's life at risk again.

A sacrifice needed to be made, and she would make it. She only wished that she could've made the initial sacrifice...in the forest...and sent Ruby home safely…

The silence abruptly ended when her scroll rang - the excessively loud noise making her jump in surprise while her heart instantly resumed its race in her ears. Without looking at the screen, she already knew who it was. It was the same person who'd called her an hour ago. And thirty minutes before that. And thirty-five minutes before that. Twenty minutes before that...

It was the same person who'd called no less than twenty times over the course of the day, with each call being sent directly to voicemail. It was the same person who'd left a voicemail each and every time, which Weiss had no plans of ever listening to.

Her finger hovered over the button that would silence the call, but, unlike the first twenty times today, she hesitated. Staring down at the screen, she watched as it rang - then rang again.

She didn't want to do this now. She didn't want to do this _ever_ , but if she didn't answer her scroll would just keep ringing. Today, tomorrow, next week...the calls would continue until she answered or until they showed up at her door.

She didn't want to do this now, but it was better to get it out of the way. That way everything could end today.

Right before the call clicked away, she pressed the button to answer and brought the device up to her ear.

"Yang."

"Weiss, where are you? Are you ok? Jesus, we've been worried sick about you! You don't show this morning, then don't answer your scroll - what's going on?"

"I'm in Atlas," she replied, making sure to keep her voice as dead and emotionless as possible.

"Atlas?" Yang repeated, her immediate confusion flowing through her voice. "What're you doing there?"

If there was a great, wide chasm - thousands of feet across and thousands of feet to the bottom - Weiss was standing right upon the precipice. It was so inviting to believe that all she needed to do was take a step back - that a simple step away would save her from her destiny - but that line of thinking was a trap. There was no stepping back because there was no path behind her. It had already been torn apart, destroyed, and now lay in ruin.

"My father needed help getting the new plant off the ground," she answered steadily. "I volunteered."

The stunned silence on the other end of the line seemed to stretch on forever, but she waited - shifting her weight back and forth between her feet while curling her free hand into a tight fist.

"You...what…? Weiss, tell me you're coming back. You have to come back."

Tears stung her eyes, and she swallowed thickly, which only made the lump in her throat grow larger. This was her best friend. And what she was going to say next would destroy the friendship they'd built. It would destroy something amazing that she'd never thought possible of achieving in the first place.

But she'd already lost everything.

"I'm not coming back."

Again, she waited through the agonizing silence, biting her lip to stem the sobs welling up in her chest when she realized the weight of the words she'd just spoken aloud.

On the flight from Vale, she'd thought that her heart had already been ripped out, but apparently there was still a bit left that needed to be removed. Now she could feel it bleeding in her chest - a hot, burning pain that was slowly feeding into every vein in her body.

"What? Weiss, what the hell are you talking about?" Yang shouted through the scroll, her voice rising as she grew more emotional. "You need to get back here!"

"I can't…" Weiss whispered, looking up at the ceiling when her vision swam with tears. She didn't want to cry. If she did, she didn't know if she would ever be able to stop. But the chandelier was already blurring into a nondescript shape of light.

"Weiss!" Yang yelled as if speaking louder could somehow bring Weiss back to them, as if it could somehow remove the hooks dragging her away. "You can't just leave! You can't just leave her! Ruby needs you now!"

"She doesn't even know who I am," Weiss replied deadly, the reality of that statement spreading like poison through her veins. Ruby didn't recognize her - she might as well be a complete stranger. She _was_ a complete stranger. She was a complete stranger to the girl she loved.

On the other side of the call, Yang took a deep, shaky breath.

"I know this isn't what you expected, but you can't just give up. You can't. We - we had a plan, remember? We already worked this all out - everything was going to be ok…"

Hearing Yang's voice crack with emotion, Weiss closed her eyes and felt a teardrop fall. It was followed quickly by another, and another, while she silently gasped for the air that was being quickly strangled from her lungs.

This morning, she'd believed that everything would be alright, but she'd been foolish. They'd all been foolish.

"Weiss, you can still come back...just come back, ok? Please...please don't do this to her. Please don't leave her...you promised. You promised to always be there...for eternity, remember?"

A small sob escaped while she clutched her scroll in one hand, unable to respond to Yang's pleas as sorrow overcame her. She had promised. She'd promised exactly that. Little had she known that that promise would be impossible to keep.

"Weiss -" Yang begged in a wavering voice, the rest of her sentence disappearing with the sound of her own tears.

Shoulders shaking with agony while listening to her friend's pain, Weiss raised one hand to her mouth while tears fell freely from her eyes. She heard a soft rustling on the other end of the call before another voice entered her ear.

"Weiss…" Blake said quietly, her voice just as pleading as Yang's had been. "Please think about what you're doing…"

Scrunching her eyes shut, Weiss heard the sobs escaping her lips - unable to hold them in any longer. Everything...hurt...

"I...I can't, Blake," she managed to whisper through her tears before her voice broke for a gasp of air. "I can't...t-think anymore."

"Weiss..."

Before Blake could say anything else, Weiss ended the call. Looking down at the scroll, large tears splashed on the surface one-by-one as she watched Yang's photo disappear - knowing that they would probably never speak again. Knowing that she'd just betrayed Yang in a way that was unforgivable, at best.

Stumbling backward until her back pressed against the foyer wall, she dropped down to the ground and placed her head in both hands while sobs wracked her body - agony held at bay all day finally breaking through her walls and crushing her into oblivion.

They had been her family.

The love of her life...her best friends in the entire world...today, she'd lost everything.

"I'm sorry," she cried out to an empty house, where no one would ever hear or care about her pain. "I'm s-sorry...I'm so, s-so sorry…"

Sitting on the cold, hard floor, she apologized and apologized, but never felt any better. If only her tears could wash away the guilt weighing her down, dragging her under...drowning her...

Her only consolation was that Ruby wouldn't remember. Ruby wouldn't remember the life they'd shared...the life Weiss had just left behind.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everyone! Two things I want to say today. One, when you're reading this, please consider that I've spent two years now on the story. The words I chose and the style choices I made all have reasons behind them. I don't ever plan on illuminating every plot point for you, because that's not the type of story I like. I like figuring out some things on my own, and that's reflected in the way I write.**

 **Two - and this is much more exciting - but this chapter marks my _ONE-MILLIONTH_ word posted on fanfiction! I couldn't believe it when I saw that number. Thank you to everyone who continues to read these stories as I continue to figure out what I'm doing, and to those of you you've been here since the beginning. I won't name names, but there are a handful of you who've been around for quite a long time and I really appreciate your continued support as well as all the newcomers I'm just growing to know!**

 **With that said, let's get back to it!**

* * *

Her eyelids were heavy - so, so heavy. Like sandbags were tied to the ends to keep them from moving, with an extra layer of glue to hold them in place. Where was a crowbar to pry them open? Or some anti-glue or something…

Struggling to lift her eyelids a fraction of an inch, Ruby immediately let them snap shut again.

Ugh. The room was so bright. Why were the lights on while she was sleeping? Even with her eyes shut, she could see the light seeping through her eyelids while the rests of her senses slowly came online.

Jeez...it felt like she'd been asleep for ages.

Those lights though…

Peeking her eyes back open and taking a breath that was way too difficult, her brain sluggishly processed what she was looking at - bright fluorescent lights in the ceiling directly above her head. But why was it on? No one slept with the lights on. Unless she'd been really tired and forgot to turn them off? But she didn't recognize these lights...

Peering to one side, she found a set of machines that she vaguely recognized as medical in nature. But, other than being kind of familiar, they made no sense to her. Dragging her focus to the other side of the room, she could hazily see some splashes of color - flowers, maybe?

Flowers, medical equipment, fluorescent lighting…

It was a hospital room. But what was she doing in a hospital room?

Sounds were registering in her mind now, muffled and coming from some unseen source. The noises were too muted for her to figure out exactly what they were, but for an instant it sounded like she heard voices or...something...

Taking a deep breath that sounded really loud in her ears, a prick of pain in her neck instantly told her something was wrong.

Something wasn't right.

She wasn't right.

The prick was followed by tingles, then needles - lots and lots of needles. Not little ones either - big, fat needles that were repeatedly jabbing into her arm and skull.

Letting her eyes fall shut, she prayed that the pain would pass - that it would fade away as her pain tolerance absorbed it - but the opposite happened. It grew from pinpricks to a steady wave of sharp agony that refused to let up.

What hurt so bad…? Why was she so groggy? Why was she in the hospital?

A small bubble of panic appeared in her chest, and she knew she needed to figure out where she was - what was going on - why she was here - why she was in pain.

She needed to sit up. She needed to see the rest of the room.

Merely _thinking_ about lifting her head, everything in her body screamed at her not to do it - not when she was in so much pain. But she needed to sit up and figure out what was going on.

The beds. They normally had a thing on them somewhere -

She turned her head to the side, and it felt like a set of knives stabbed into her skull.

The sudden pain was so sharp that a swell of nausea rose in her stomach as a whimper forced through her lips. The feeling was immobilizing. Even as her lungs inflated, she struggled for air while waiting for the wave of abrupt agony to fade into the distance.

It receded slowly, but eventually she was able to think that...moving her head was a bad idea.

Giving up on using her eyes, she tried to find the button on the hospital bed using her hand...but she couldn't move her hand. Instead, the attempt at moving her left arm only made her pay with more sharp knives, needles, and nausea.

Her left arm was also a no go. In fact, it didn't seem like she could move that arm at all. Without being able to turn her head to the side, she had no idea why, but it was locked firmly in place by some invisible force.

Tentatively testing her right hand, she was pleased to find it was free and didn't paralyze her with pain in the process. It _did_ feel a lot like a limp noodle, but that was much better than the alternative.

Blindly fumbling around in search of any type of button she could press, her eyes stared up at that bright light the entire time.

Now that her mind was fully awake and fighting away the pain, she knew that something was wrong. Why was she here? She couldn't remember anything. Nothing. Waking up in pain, in a hospital, with no memories of getting there, was usually the plot of a horror movie. And those movies didn't end up well for the person chained to the bed...which was currently her, so she needed to figure out what was going on as soon as possible.

Just within reach, her fingers stumbled across a little pad attached to the side of the bed. Running her index finger around the edge, she found it had only two buttons. Her first attempt at pressing one of the buttons did exactly nothing - her fingers so limp and noodle-y she couldn't even force it down.

Taking a deep breath and summoning as much energy as she possibly could, she pressed down on the button again - straining until she felt it indent slightly under her fingertip. And it did...nothing, apparently.

Not discouraged, she moved on to the second button and used a great amount of willpower to press it down a fraction of an inch. It immediately worked - a whir of motors sounding from the bed underneath her.

The initial jolt of movement made her flinch, but the rest of the incline was smooth as the bed slowly but surely raised from its flattened position - tilting up and up and up until she was finally in a slightly seated position. Gladly releasing her tenuous hold on the button, she dropped her right arm onto the bed while surveying her much-improved view of the world.

It _was_ a hospital - with real people in it, not zombies. No one was running or screaming for their life. Normal-looking doctors and nurses walked past the window, but they weren't staring at her like they were expecting something crazy to happen. They weren't even looking at her.

Relieved that there was no apocalypse and she wasn't being experimented on, she carefully - and very, very slowly - tilted her head down to look at herself.

What she saw was...alarming.

Her arm - her arm was sealed in an inflatable cast and strapped to the edge of the bed so she couldn't move it. But why? What happened to her arm?

Calling on her weak hand once again, she swung her right arm over and tried to pull at the straps holding her to the bed. Her fingers were clumsy as she fumbled with the metal buckle, trying to undo it so she could free herself from the bed. It would probably be easier to undo if her limbs felt like cooperating right now...but they felt too much like jello.

Straining from the effort, she was just about to give up when a flash of yellow raced by the window, and the door suddenly flew open - forcing her eyes away from her arm as relief flooded through her.

Yang. Thank god - it was Yang.

At least, that's what she originally thought, but...it wasn't.

It wasn't Yang at all.

"Ruby! You're awake!"

"Yang?" she asked, watching the person who _looked_ like her older sister walk over to stand by the bed.

It _was_ Yang, but it wasn't. Her hair was longer - when had it grown out? And she taller. She looked a lot stronger - older. And...and her...her arm -

"Yang?" Ruby asked again, her bottom lip quivering when confusion quickly turned into fear. "Where am I? What happened?"

As soon as the questions started, they wouldn't stop. What happened? Why was she here? The more she asked, the more she searched her brain for answers. But...there was a part of her mind that was blocked from her - this giant gap of fog that was impenetrable.

Why? Why was that there? Why couldn't she remember? What was keeping her from remembering?

The more she tried to reach through that empty space, the more distressed she felt. It was like a piece of her mind was missing. A piece of her brain was missing. It was missing. Something was missing. Something was wrong.

Yang's smile fell as her brow creased in concern.

"You're in the hospital. Ruby - don't you remember what happened? We were in the forest -"

"We were in the forest?" she asked, her voice sounding slightly slurred. "Why were we in the forest? We're not allowed -"

"What? Of course we are -"

"Since when? Dad said never - not unless he's there!"

While Yang stared at her in confusion and worry, Ruby went back to searching her memories for what brought her here.

Why had they gone into the forest? They weren't allowed in the forest, so why would they go in there? What happened to her? Why did everything hurt?

Her breathing was speeding up, coming in large gasps while she ran into the same dead end over and over again.

Something was wrong. Something was really wrong.

She needed to get out of here. The hospital was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be here.

Pulling again at the buckle on her left arm, she struggled with it while trying to free herself from the bed. All of the motion was sending pain shooting up and down her spine, but that was nothing compared to the fear of remaining here - trapped. Scared.

"Ruby -!" Yang yelped, catching Ruby's hand and preventing her from undoing the straps. With Yang holding her right arm, Ruby tried to wiggle her left arm free only for a stab of pain to sear through her. It felt like something was trying to rip her hand right off. And her head…

When Ruby whimpered in pain, Yang immediately let go of her arm.

Lifting her right hand and gently touching her temple, Ruby found a layer of bandages and a great big patch of skin where the hair had been shaved away.

"What happened to me?" she asked, sniffing as tears began to fall from her eyes.

There was nothing. No answer in her mind. She was asking the questions, but her brain wasn't willing to give her the answers. Instead, it was blank. Dark and empty...empty when it should be filled with memories.

"Ruby, it's ok -" Yang reached out, but Ruby jerked her arm away, only for more pain to shoot through her head.

"No! What happened? Why am I here?" she demanded, gasping for air while her eyes flew around the room, looking for answers when her brain held none. The heart monitor by her bed was beeping faster - the sound making her more and more panicked as she tugged at one of the wires attached to her chest.

"Ruby, calm down - it's ok -"

"I don't know what happened!" she finally wailed. "What happened? What happened to you? What happened to your arm?"

The questions froze Yang in place as her jaw dropped open in shock.

Giving up on the wires and straps - giving up on the idea of freeing herself or finding anything but emptiness in her mind - Ruby put her head in her good hand and started bawling.

"What happened, what happened, what happened," she murmured into her palm while her shoulders shook with tears that caused more pain than relief.

Everything hurt. Nothing made sense. Yang wasn't Yang. And her mind couldn't remember anything - nothing at all.

What happened? Did her mind remember? Why wouldn't it tell her?

Why did everything hurt so much?

Something happened then - a sudden change rushed through her veins. At first, it was quite peaceful - a wave of calm that made it harder to cry. Then the calmness grew heavy - heavy enough that it dragged her down and away from consciousness.

Glancing away from her hand, she caught sight of the nurse who'd walked into the room while she hadn't been paying attention. The woman was watching carefully. And Yang - Yang was still staring at her in surprise and concern.

"Ruby…"

Yang's whisper sounded miles away because whatever was in her bloodstream was heavy...much heavier than the panic...and the fear...and the pain. It was so easy to close her eyes and give in...

The next thing she knew, she was waking up again - only she was even groggier than the first time. Forget sandbags...cement blocks were weighing her eyelids down now.

Groaning in effort, she struggled to lift her eyes to no avail. Temporarily giving up, she patiently waited for the rest of her body to reboot before trying again.

The light was still there. The muffled noises from the hallway. The cutting pain just on the edge of her nerves. But nothing was...as much. The light wasn't as bright. The noises weren't as loud. The pain wasn't unmanageable.

When everything felt like it was working again, Ruby peeked her eyes open and found that Yang was still there - sitting on the very edge of a chair like someone had put a whole bunch of pins on it right before she sat down. She must've changed at some point because she was wearing a jacket and gloves now.

Even though Ruby could still vaguely remember what she'd seen lying underneath the jacket and gloves, the fact that Yang looked more normal was comforting. It was still Yang, just a kind of older Yang. That was ok, although it didn't seem to matter as much anymore what Ruby had seen. Maybe it mattered, but it was kind of hard to decide whether it really did or not.

Her head was super fuzzy. Like a fuzzy peach - soft and squishy like one, too. Through a haze, she could almost remember being upset - and slowly remembered why - but she didn't seem to have the energy to be that upset again. Whatever the nurse had given her was preventing her from feeling much of anything, really. Sure, she could still feel the fear at the edge of her mind, but she couldn't _feel_ it. It was just kind of...there. And that was ok, for now. This was actually kind of better. Like a giant, floating peach.

"Ruby?" Yang whispered, her eyes never leaving Ruby's face.

"Yang," she answered - or tried to. The name came out more like a muffled jumble though, because her mouth was having some difficulty forming words.

The medicine numbed her mind and her mouth - nice.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Mmmroggy…"

Yang nodded as if that was the answer she'd expected.

"Good. Listen to me for a little bit, ok?"

Ruby briefly considered nodding, but that was too much effort. And talking was too much effort. Just about everything was too much effort right now. Somewhere in her mind alarm bells were trying to ring, but it was too much effort to pay attention to those either.

A small memory slipped through though. It told her that this was a serious conversation based on the expression Yang was wearing. It was the same one she'd had when she'd explained that Mom was never coming back. But...it was too much effort to think about that right now either.

"Ok...Ruby...I don't know how to tell you this…" Yang began, shifting in her seat and taking several deep breaths before continuing. "But you were on a hunt - we were - out in the forest, and you were seriously injured by a Death Stalker. It messed you up pretty good, but you're going to be perfectly fine. It's just...um...well, it kinda flung you down and you hit your head on this rock pretty hard and uh...it looks like some of your memories might be...missing…"

What Yang said made sense because she was using words, but Ruby found it pretty difficult to fully comprehend them at the moment. Death Stalker? Forest? A hunt? Those words didn't make much sense when used together. But she knew that being thrown into a rock wasn't a _great_ thing, no matter who did the throwing.

"Ok…" she muttered, if only to have something to say.

Was it ok? Maybe it was. It could be.

Shifting again, Yang's hands clasped and unclasped in her lap. Something about it was weird, but Ruby couldn't figure it out right now. It was fidgety. Was that right? Was Yang fidgety? No, Yang wasn't fidgety, that's why it was weird.

"So...uh, do you remember Beacon?" Yang finally asked after a long stretch of silence. Ruby searched her mind for an answer before softly tilting her head forward.

"School...for huntsmen," she mumbled in reply.

Yang stared at her expectantly for a few seconds before saying, "Anything else?"

Beacon? What else? Huntsmen. Mom. Grimm. Training. Yang.

"You want to go there…"

It was the right answer, maybe, but Yang's smile was fake. And she turned away from Ruby for a long time, staring at her hands in her lap and taking long, steady breaths before eventually looking up again. When she did, her eyes were shimmering with tears.

"Yeah, Ruby...I do want to go there," she said, giving Ruby a real smile that wavered away into nothing. Sniffing and clearing her throat, Yang tried to carry on in a normal tone. "Um...so what did I get you for your last birthday?"

It was so hard to remember anything right now. Birthday? Her birthday had been forever ago...they'd just celebrated Yang's...what had Yang given her? Oh, right...

"Book on Grimm…" she mumbled when she finally remembered. It was a great book. She'd read the entire thing in a couple of days. Just don't ask her what it was about right now, besides Grimm.

As more time passed, it got easier to search through her mind, like maybe she was figuring out how to work with the sedatives. But everything was kind of...soft. Nice and soft around the edges...

"Right, so that makes me…" Yang whispered to herself before briefly closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

While Yang was talking to herself, Ruby's eyes rolled around the room and then into the hallway. The people were moving so fast now - whizzing by the window, back and forth, back and forth. Doctors, nurses, and regular people...they never stopped. It made her feel almost motion sick watching them. Or maybe that far away feeling of nausea had more to do with her arm and head than with the people walking by.

Moving her attention to the other side of the room, she found that the flowers, on the other hand, were nice and still. They didn't move at all. They were content to be flowers and be still. Nice and motionless, with get well cards placed in between them and friendly colors all around. Red flowers, blue flowers, white, orange, lots and lots of red. Lots of red flowers. Was her favorite color red? Yes, because of her name, because it was Mom's favorite.

The flowers were ok, but…

Returning her gaze to Yang, who was watching closely, Ruby immediately looked away. The more her eyes swept the room, the more a feeling grew in her chest that something was wrong. It didn't seem like anything was wrong, but her slightly malfunctioning brain said that there was - the feeling was strong enough to grow over the sedative and push down the calm.

Something was...missing.

"Where's…?" she began to ask, but the question fell apart in confusion. What had she just been looking for? It had been there; only it hadn't been. What was it - was it the flowers or the people? Something about the room made her think that...something was missing? The red flowers. The roses. They seemed important, but why? Because that was her semblance - her aura? Was her aura...looking…

Flustered, she shook her head - an immediate mistake that made her wince and close her eyes while waiting for the pain to fade away. Only when it was gone did she try to see past the wall of fog in her mind again, but there was nothing to see - nothing but clouds and fog.

Plus, it was hard to find anything when she didn't know what she was looking for.

"Where's...what?" Yang asked, watching while Ruby struggled with her uncooperative mind. "Are you looking for something? Someone?"

"I think so…?" she mumbled, her eyes still seeking out whatever it was that had brought the question up to begin with. Was she looking for someone? Maybe? But her mind had no names or faces. And the more she searched for the end of the question, the further it moved away from her.

Eventually, the feeling passed entirely, and she couldn't have explained why she'd asked in the first place.

"I don't know…" she said, frowning at the lack of understanding. "I don't know…"

"Um, ok, well don't worry about that right now!" Yang replied with a smile, but her cheerfulness was forced. They grew up together - Ruby knew when her sister was pretending. But why was Yang pretending?

Ruby's eyes moved to the door when it suddenly opened, and Yang spun towards it in concern. Seeing that it was only a nurse walking inside, Yang visibly relaxed as the door quietly shut once more.

"How are you feeling?" the woman asked while moving purposefully around Ruby, checking things she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"Been better," she mumbled through her drowsy mouth. The woman gave a short chuckle at the reply.

"And you've been worse, my dear," she replied before leaning over and shining a small flashlight into Ruby's eyes. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain you feel?"

Right now Ruby could only feel a vague pounding pain, nothing like the sharp ones when she tried to move. But was one or ten the highest? Did it matter? Could she just pick one or the other?

"Five," she answered, making the woman laugh once again.

"Those sedatives are doing their job, aren't they?" she remarked, glancing at the screen by Ruby's side before nodding her head. "Everything looks good. I'll leave you to your chatters."

Without another word, the woman opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

"She's weird…" Ruby murmured, this time making Yang laugh. The sound was familiar and comforting - enough so that Ruby felt her lip twitch up with a smile.

"She totally is, but she's fantastic at her job," Yang explained, leaning forward in her chair so she was closer to Ruby. "She's been looking after you since we got here."

Right. Hospital. She hadn't been here forever.

"How...long?"

The question brought clouds into Yang's normally clear lilac eyes.

"A while, Ruby. Quite a while…"

Frowning, Ruby carefully moved her eyes down her immobilized left arm. A while? Did that mean like...years? Months? Decades? And her memories…how much time had she lost? How long had it taken for Yang to grow up this much?

Ruby didn't know if she wanted to ask that right now. No, she didn't.

When Yang briefly unclasped her hands, Ruby noticed that one of them was shaking. No, she didn't want to see that either. Yang was always calm under pressure. What could shake her so badly?

It was nicer to pretend like everything was ok, for now.

"So…the other day I'm sweeping out the kitchen - and you know how much I like cleaning, so I was tryin' to get it done as fast as possible." Pausing the story, Yang shot Ruby a quick glance to make sure it was ok to continue. "I left the back door open, and I was just gonna sweep everything out the door - easy peasy, right? Well, while I'm sweeping, guess what decided to come running inside the house?"

Yang didn't pause for an answer, which was good because Ruby probably couldn't have thought of one.

"A squirrel!" Yang said, throwing up her arms at the same time. "Freaking little bugger came waltzing in like he owned the place."

When Yang chuckled, Ruby attempted a small smile and briefly closed her eyes. It was easier to track Yang's words now, and they were making a little more sense when put together...although it felt like her mind was taking a long time to make all of the connections.

"Did you catch him?" she asked after her brain finally created the scenario for her.

"Catch him? Ruby, this is a _squirrel_ we're talking about! Those tiny, super fast and nimble critters that climb trees? Maybe _you_ could catch him, but of course I couldn't catch him! He was jumping around the kitchen while I tried to corral him with the broom - I think I knocked over everything possible. Dumped the groceries on the ground, broke the eggs, dishes, too. He just hopped around like a demon taunting me into breaking more things."

Imagining her sister destroying the kitchen while swinging a broom at a squirrel made Ruby smile more fully this time.

"Just when I decided to fry the little sucker, he runs out the door and disappears into the trees." Shaking her head in disbelief, Yang sighed. "I would've leveled the entire woods looking for him, but decided against going to prison."

A small laugh bubbled out of Ruby's chest - the sound making Yang grin happily.

"The worst part was I had _more_ to clean up afterward," Yang commented while leaning back in her chair. "It would've been better never to have tried at all!"

"Tell that to Dad…" Ruby replied while Yang laughed. The sound was reassuring - like, better-than-sedative soothing. And it was nice listening to Yang's voice. Yang's voice was the same.

If Ruby closed her eyes, Yang's voice was as comforting as it had been when they were kids. And if she didn't think about the block in her mind, she could remain calm and unaware. She wasn't in the hospital. Her arm wasn't strapped to the bed. Her head wasn't heavily bandaged. There wasn't a drug in her system preventing her from being upset. There weren't doctors whizzing by in the hall or get well cards by the windowsill. She wasn't any of those things. She was just...hanging out, talking to her sister with a little bit of pain and sedatives thrown in.

"Can you tell me a story?" she finally asked. Yang had always been a great storyteller. It was her flair for exaggeration that made any small tale exciting and awesome. A story would keep Ruby's mind off of the hospital and her arm. She was sure of it.

"Yeah, sure." Yang settled further into her chair before smiling at Ruby. "You gonna close your eyes? I gotta take you to a faraway land."

Obediently closing her eyes, Ruby let out a deep exhale and sank back into her pillow. There was no pain, no hospital - just her and Yang lying in bed at home like they'd done so many times before. That was a memory she did have...and it was a nice, happy one.

"Ok, so...how about one of Mom's favorites? The fur trader in Vacuo."

Fur trader...ah, that was a good one. But all of them had been Mom's favorites. She'd weeded through years and years of stories to pick out the very best ones to tell her daughters. Or so she said.

"So once upon a time there was this fur trader who lived in Atlas," Yang began - her familiar voice and the familiar story putting Ruby more at ease than she'd felt since waking up. "Now, course he doesn't sell _real_ furs - we'd have animal rights people on our grill in no time for that. Fake furs, but this guy was a pro. He was so good; he could sell a mink coat to a mink Faunus."

Ruby groaned at the claim and Yang chuckled.

"You know what I mean! This guy could rip you off three ways to Sunday, and _you'd_ be the one walking away thinking you'd got a good deal. But, just because he was a great _salesman_ didn't mean he was a great businessman. Or a smart dude in general. He was actually kinda dumb, so even though he had this awesome talent, he was only moderately successful. But never _rich_ and that made him upset because he wanted to live in a big house and drive a fancy car and such. Like who doesn't, ya know?"

"Mmm…" Ruby quietly agreed, struggling a little bit to track the story, but succeeding regardless.

"One day, he's talking to a friend who mentions how there wasn't a _single_ fur store in Vacuo. Our trader immediately sees a golden opportunity. No fur stores in Vacuo? Well then, he'd go there, open a store, and make a fortune!"

Grinning, Ruby finally knew better than to shake her head at the man's silly mistake. But it was a silly mistake. If she could shake her head, she would.

"Why aren't there any shops that sell furs in Vacuo? Well, cuz Vacuo is flippin' hot! Anyone crazy enough to wear a fur coat there would be sweating bullets in no time," Yang said with a soft chuckle. "But our trader wasn't so smart on this little thing called geography, so he packed up his entire life, got on an airship, and headed to Vacuo. He was determined. Open a store, make a fortune, live happily ever after. But on the way there he struck up a conversation with a suave chap who wanted to know what was with all the coats. 'I'm going to open a fur shop,' the trader explained happily."

Ruby loved with Yang made up the voices for characters in the stories. They always had really interesting accents. Not _real_ accents, just interesting ones. At least, Ruby didn't think they were real...

"Why's the suave chap interested?" she asked during the pause, playing along with the story even though she already knew the ending.

It didn't matter if she'd heard it before - it was always fun to hear it again and see what details might change. Mom's story had originally been about an ice salesman, then a rice salesman, and so on, until Yang had decided on furs - for this version, at least.

"That's a great question, my genius little sister. Why would a random stranger show interest in a small fortune of fur coats?" Yang asked. "I can tell you it _wasn't_ because he was interested in breaking the world record for wearing the most coats at once!"

Softly giggling, Ruby tried to imagine how many coats she could put on at once. A lot, probably. That would be hot though.

"Obviously, the charming chap was planning on robbing our poor fur trader blind - which he did. When the airship docked in Vacuo, affable chap threatened a great deal of violence upon our fur trader before forcing him off the ship without his precious cargo. Then the genial chap tossed twenty Lien on the ground and said, 'Ya know, a fur store in Vacuo was a horrible idea anyway. You'll thank me later.'"

"And headed back to Atlas," Ruby whispered, picturing a charming man laughing in his new pile of coats while the airship took off from the station and left the fur trader behind.

"You know it! Now, _some people_ will say that it's highly unlikely that a thief would willingly leave the trader with a single Lien in his name, but _some people_ don't understand that even thieves can show a little pity when they're taking someone's life work from them. Right, Ruby?"

"Right," she agreed, opening her eyes but immediately closing them when the sight of the hospital room jolted her away from her safe place in Vacuo with the thief and the trader.

"I knew you'd have my side!" Yang remarked before continuing the story. "So our poor fur trader is now furless, in Vacuo, with only twenty Lien to his name. Furless as in he doesn't have any coats, not like some crazy Faunus insult. He's lost everything! He was just robbed, it's baking hot, and he doesn't even have enough money to get an airship home. What's he supposed to do now? He came to Vacuo to sell coats. That was his entire life, and now it was gone."

Was 'furless' really a Faunus insult? If she remembered any of this later, Ruby would make sure never to say that around any Faunus she knew. Which...did she know any Faunus?

"The first thing he does is buy a bottle of water since it's so hot," Yang continued in her soothing voice. "So that's five Lien out the window right there. Standing outside the store, he's lamenting his horrible luck when he sees a businessman walking by in a suit. Now _that_ guy must be hot, he thinks to himself. If anyone was in need of a bottle of water, it's the dude in the black suit walking in the sun. Then he gets an idea - he walks up to the man and says, 'Hey man, you look awfully hot. How about a bottle of water for ten Lien?'"

This was the best part of the story. It was the part that always gave Ruby goosebumps of happiness.

"'Ten Lien? That's a ripoff,' the man said, to which the trader immediately replied, 'Of course it is, but you don't have to go into the store, find the bottle, or wait in line. That's already been done for you.' And...the argument worked - the businessman didn't even flinch pulling out a crisp ten Lien note and handing it over. 'Thanks,' was all he said before walking off without another word. And suddenly, our fur trader, who had only twenty Lien to his name just a few minutes ago, now had twenty-five."

"Life lesson time," Ruby whispered, using the phrase the two of them had coined for the end of the story when Mom would tell them the lesson that could be learned.

"Life lesson time!" Yang repeated happily. "So the fur trader, who'd made a really, really dumb decision and lost everything he owned in the process, was still able to learn something valuable. You see, when he thought he'd lost everything, he really hadn't. He was still a trader - he still had the skills to barter and sell something for a profit. Taking away his possessions could never change that."

In the brief pause, Ruby heard Yang take a deep breath before speaking again.

"What we can learn from him," she said softly. "Is that - while some things can be lost - there are pieces of ourselves that can never be taken away. No matter what."

The connection brought Ruby's thoughts jarring back to the present - to the hospital and her own lost memories. When she slowly opened her eyes, the look on Yang's face said that that was the purpose of choosing this story, to begin with.

A bubble of sadness wanted to well up in her chest, but it wasn't allowed to grow very big. In fact, it stayed as a little bubble that was only kind of bothersome.

"What can't be taken from me?" she asked, her mind focusing more on the curiosity rather than the anxiety of that question. Leaning forward, Yang reached out and gently picked up Ruby's right hand - which Ruby didn't try to move away this time.

"Who you _are_ , Ruby," Yang answered tenderly. "Smart, caring, determined...nothing can ever take those things away from you. That's who you are, and who you'll always be...no matter what."

The words made Ruby feel better, in a way...as did Yang's loving purple eyes. Nothing made a whole lot of sense right now, and everything felt jumbled up or lost, but if what Yang said was true...then there were some things Ruby had managed to hold onto. Hopefully.

"Thank you, Yang," she replied, opening and closing her eyes when a small headache pricked the middle of her forehead.

"You're welcome, Ruby. But you should get some rest now."

Hearing Yang stand from the chair, Ruby opened her eyes and accepted Yang's gentle squeeze of her good hand.

"I know you're gonna have a ton of questions," Yang whispered to her. "But let's take it slow. Everything's going to be ok - I promise."

Yang's promises _always_ made Ruby feel better. If Yang knew that things would be ok, Ruby had no reason to believe otherwise. Yang had a way of making the impossible possible - that was her job as big sister. And it was Ruby's job as little sister to trust her - to believe that, even when Ruby had no idea what was going on, Yang would guide them through.

"Will you stay?" Ruby asked, a bubble of distant fear expanding when Yang backed towards the door.

"Of course I will," Yang replied with a smile that popped that bubble before it grew any larger. "I just need to go to the restroom. I'll be back in a minute, k?"

"Ok."

Ruby just barely caught the tears in Yang's eyes when she turned and walked out of the room. Once in the hallway, she paused outside the door and raised one hand to cover her eyes, her shoulders slumping before she hurried out of view.

In the temporary solitude, Ruby felt unease creeping around the edge of her mind. She was supposed to be upset right now, but she wasn't - and that was a weird sensation. Instead, she was just kind of...numb. And unsettled. But mostly numb.

She'd always liked the fur trader story because it was nice to think that people could start over even after something pretty bad happened to them. But was there an alternate ending to the story? Maybe the fur trader was able to track down the thief and reclaim all of his stolen coats? Or did the trader always move on without them?

Would she have to start over too?

It didn't matter right now...she was tired...and hopefully Yang would get back before she fell asleep. Another story would be nice...


	23. Chapter 23

**One announcement today - White Rose Week starts next Sunday, June 10th! If you're interested in seeing/reading more White Rose from around the community (I'm guessing most of you are!), follow white-rose-week on Tumblr. I have a story I'll be posting, which I _think_ you'll enjoy... :D**

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"I DON'T CARE if his daughter's getting married!" Weiss shouted into her scroll. "I want him on the next flight to Vale!"

Without waiting for a response, she hung up the call with an angry jab of her finger into the device. She already knew that she would get what she'd demanded. The doctor would get on the flight because he had to - because her family owned the hospital where he was currently employed. Unless, of course, he was willing to sacrifice his job...which very few people were willing to do.

The shouting had drawn more than a few curious looks from the nurses nearby, but she ignored the glances as she resumed pacing in the hall.

 _Stay calm_ , she reminded herself over and over again. _Take deep breaths and stay calm._

It was going to be just fine. It wasn't a repeat of what happened last time. It wasn't. It wouldn't be - she wouldn't, and couldn't, let that happen again. Which meant she needed to _stay here_ \- stay here. She couldn't leave. She wouldn't allow herself to leave. She would keep pacing the hallways - the hallways of the very same hospital Ruby had been rushed to a little over a year ago.

They were on a different floor, but the layout was identical. The wallpaper was the same - the color scheme, the furniture, the nurses' uniforms…the overwhelming familiarity put her nerves on edge. This was where everything had gone wrong the last time - right here, in this very building. This place marked the beginning of the end for her.

The attending doctor said he would find her as soon as they finished running some tests. Until then, she was waiting right here, where he could easily find her. She was _not_ going to leave this building. She was going to wait _right here_ for the doctor, and for Yang and Blake to show up.

It would be a far simpler task if it didn't feel like she was made of sand and the sun had just come out to dry her adhesiveness away. The edges of her mind were fraying as doctors and nurses rushed this way and that - none of them bringing any news on how Ruby was doing or what was going on. They were busy and preoccupied, but with tasks that had little relevance in Weiss' life.

How long had she been waiting? An hour? Two? Shouldn't there be _some_ update by now?

The longer she was forced to wait, the more critical she believed Ruby's current situation was. If it _wasn't_ serious, they should have an answer by now. There was no reason for a simple issue to drag on this long.

No, the only reason for them to delay was if they were running more tests. And the only reason they would run more tests was if the first ones came back with reasons to worry.

Overcome by anxiety, she spun the newly-minted ring around her finger while pacing back and forth in front of the nurses' station in the middle of the floor. She'd already reminded them three times to give her an update as soon as they heard anything. They'd promised to inform her the second they'd finished with whatever tests they were running. If they were finished, they would have told her. Unless they'd already forgotten. They hadn't forgotten, had they?

" _WEISS!_ "

Spinning away from the nurses' station at the sound of her name, Weiss found Yang and Blake rushing out of the stairwell - still dressed in their combat attire. Gambol Shroud, in particular, garnered quite a few concerned glances from the hospital staff, but the two girls didn't notice as they hurried towards Weiss. Blake's brow was furrowed, but Yang was...

Yang was _mad_. Not just a little angry or mildly irritated. She was beyond boiling point furious.

Alarm bells rang loudly in Weiss' mind while her teammates approached.

She'd seen Yang this upset once before - and that was right before she'd practically broken Cardin's face for leaving anti-Faunus propaganda all over Blake's locker. At the time, Weiss had thought to herself that that was a side of Yang she never wanted to see again, but here it was stomping over to her - steps heavy, eyes red, mouth set in something worse than a scowl.

A wave of hot anger washed over Weiss before Yang even reached her - just the tip of the firestorm about to land.

"What the HELL did you do?!"

There was no opportunity for Weiss to respond before a powerful hand closed around her wrist and she was shoved roughly into the desk behind her - the edge digging into her back while she let out a startled cry of pain. The vice grip on her wrist grew tighter and a surge of panic swept through her when she realized that she couldn't move her arm without exposing herself to further harm.

Throughout years of training she'd suffered numerous injuries, but never had she been locked in a situation where she _knew_ that if she moved a fraction of an inch her bone would snap like a toothpick.

It was too late to realize she'd made the same mistake Cardin had. She should have run as soon as Yang had stepped into the hallway.

"Yang -"

Blake's voice had an edge of warning, but Yang didn't heed it.

"Answer me!" she shouted in Weiss' face instead. "Where is she? What did you do to her?!"

When Weiss opened her mouth in an attempt to answer, she yelped again in pain as she was suddenly half-dragged, half-shoved into the empty room across the hall - her arm nearly breaking when Yang refused to let go. No sooner was she inside did the door slam shut.

"Let go of her, Yang."

This time Yang listened - shoving Weiss away as if disgusted by her, sending her stumbling backward in the process.

After regaining her balance and a sliver of her composure, the last thing she wanted to do was give Yang the satisfaction of checking her wrist to make sure it was still in one piece. Instead, she rubbed at the tender skin with her fingertips - searching for bumps or bruises while Yang glowered at her from across the small hospital room.

"If you two are finally going to argue, do it in here and not in the middle of the hallway," Blake said, folding her arms across her chest and silently daring them to try to leave.

"What. Happened," Yang demanded without even looking at Blake, her teeth gritting together in anger.

"We were just spending time together," Weiss answered in her defense. "Talking -"

Briefly pausing, she remembered that she'd nearly told Ruby about their past. She'd nearly told Ruby that they were partners. Shaking her head, she continued her explanation while omitting that particular detail.

"We were talking. She seemed fine, but suddenly she said she didn't feel good. Then...then she passed out." Reliving that moment of panic, Weiss took a quick pause and deep breath before continuing. "I immediately called for help, and they came to get her right away. They brought her here, and now they're running tests."

While Weiss recounted the story, Yang grew more and more agitated, pacing back and forth with her hands clenched into tight fists.

"I knew it. I _knew_ something like this would happen!" Yang spun back to Weiss, her red eyes flashing with rage. "I _knew_ having you around would do something like this to her."

At first, Weiss didn't even know how to respond to the unexpected accusation, except to be completely taken aback. But that shock quickly morphed into unbridled indignation that raced through her veins and set her thoughts ablaze.

She was exhausted. She was scared out of her mind for Ruby's well-being. And, for once, she'd had _enough_ of being blamed for everything. It was one thing when she blamed herself - it was another when someone else tried to do that for her.

 _How_ was this within her control? _How_ was she supposed to foresee this happening? Did Yang _honestly_ believe Weiss would stand idly by while Ruby was ill? Did Yang _honestly_ believe that Weiss would willingly allow any harm or injury to happen to Ruby?

Enough was enough.

"Somehow _I_ did this to her?" she retorted, placing one hand on her chest in feigned courtesy. Yang nodded her head vigorously, still stalking back and forth in front of Weiss like a lion in a cage waiting for an opportunity to pounce.

"She was doing _just fine_ until you came _prancing_ back into her life. And now - surprise surprise - look where we are. Again."

"How dare you blame this on me!" Weiss shouted back, clenching her fists as anger and frustration swept through her. "This is _not_ my fault!"

Whirling around, Yang jabbed one finger into Weiss' chest - pushing her a half-step backward and adding fuel to her fire.

" _First_ , you want to help her get better," Yang said through gritted teeth. " _Then_ , you split when she needed you most. And now you put her back in the hospital. What's the _one thing_ all of this has in common?"

" _I'm_ not the one who let her go on a _hunt_ again," Weiss snarled in defiance, her voice rising in anger. " _I'm_ not the one who let her train to become the _one_ thing that almost _killed_ her the first time. You want to talk about responsibility, Yang? Why don't _you_ take some! You're the one who gave Crescent Rose back to her!"

"You have no idea what it was like, Weiss!" Yang yelled while taking one threatening step forward. Blake's hand appeared on Yang's shoulder immediately, temporarily quelling the shouts as Yang's chest rose and fell with deep, furious breaths.

While Yang glared, her fists tightly clenched, the thought crossed Weiss' mind that Yang might actually hit her - Yang might actually deck her in the face in the middle of the hospital.

And Weiss honestly couldn't give a damn. Let Yang try it. Just let her try. After all the subtle swipes she'd taken at Weiss over the past few days, it would be nice for her to drop the fake niceties and do what she actually wanted to do.

Or at least try - because there was no way in hell Weiss was going to just stand here and _let_ Yang hit her.

"At least I made sure her bills were taken care of..." she muttered under her breath. She knew it would only stoke the flames, but right now she _didn't care_. She was angry - at Yang, at herself, at everything that had gone wrong in the past year and her role in it.

"Oh gee, _thanks_ ," Yang replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Princess Schnee here to save the day with her freaking wallet. We didn't need your money, Weiss, we needed you! We needed you here to help - don't you get that?"

Again, when Yang's voice grew too loud, Blake gently calmed her down with a squeeze of her shoulder.

"You weren't here when she had nothing, Weiss," Blake added softly - somehow, the quiet words hurting far more than Yang's verbal uppercuts did. "You weren't here when she was lonely and...lost. You didn't see how Crescent Rose changed her life - how training to become a huntress gave her purpose."

"You don't get to stomp back in here and pretend you know _jack_ about what it was like," Yang snapped. "You weren't here when she was in so much pain she couldn't sleep. Or when the meds the doctors gave her for the pain made her nauseous. Or when she cried because she didn't know who she was. That wasn't you, Weiss. That was _us._ "

The imagery was so sad that it threatened to destroy the rage and frustration Weiss had been fueled by. Tears stung her eyes - ready to spill over at any moment - while giant cracks appeared in her flimsy armor. She did everything in her power to hold on to that last thread of anger...because if she let go she was giving way to sadness - pure and utter sadness.

But when she opened her mouth to respond, no words came out.

How could she possibly answer with anything other than yes? Yes, she should have been here to help. Yes, she was wrong. Yes, she was a coward. Yes, she was the one at fault.

Saying anything else was a lie.

Yang took Weiss' silence as confirmation of something as yet unsaid, and she let out a disdainful scoff.

"Of course you don't get it," she said derisively, the tone more malicious than her shouts had been. "How could you? You're too wrapped up in your own problems to care about what happens around you. Well, here - why don't I explain it to you. While you were off _galavanting_ in Atlas, avoiding your responsibilities, Ruby was _missing you_. Sure, she might not _remember_ , but she could feel that something, some _one_ , was missing - something Blake and I could never replace. That's why she still won't take that damn ring off."

"Yang…" Blake warned, putting her hand on Yang's shoulder only for Yang to shrug it off and step forward. Her red eyes looked directly into Weiss' - as if she could see right through the facade Weiss had been hiding behind all this time.

"You don't know what you're doing, Weiss," Yang concluded, the words sharp and true. "You haven't since that Death Stalker got the drop on you. And, from the look of it, you should really figure _that_ out before trying to fix Ruby's life."

Yang was right. She was absolutely right. But why did it make Weiss so angry to hear those words of truth?

"I'm _fine_ ," she snarled at the insinuation that she was anything but, grasping onto the vanishing belief that she could overcome anything by herself.

"Yeah?" Yang retorted, her voice rising again in anger. "If you're 'fine,' why do you need to summon _two_ freaking soldiers to kill one Death Stalker? If you're 'fine,' why does your sister have to send Velvet and Coco into the middle of the forest to save your ass?"

"Yang."

"What are you even doing here, anyway?" Yang continued as if she hadn't heard the warning, folding her arms across her chest while she needled Weiss where she knew it would hurt the most. "Shouldn't you be halfway to Atlas already? I mean, we _both_ know that you can't deal with being here for Ruby when she needs you. Why aren't you already gone? Wouldn't it be easier for everyone if you got it over with and left already?"

" _Yang_. That's enough."

"Why are you always sticking up for her?" Yang demanded, shrugging off Blake's hand once again. "You know what Ruby went through! You know how hard it was - why are you always on her side?"

"I'm not -"

"Yes, you are!" Yang interrupted. "It's always 'Weiss this' and 'Weiss that.' You know what she did. How can you just forgive her?"

"Because I _was_ her."

"You were never -"

"I _left_ you, Yang!" Blake cried out, her voice cracking with tears as she said the words. "You were hurt, and I left you. So yes, I _am_ the same. I know how it feels to make that horrible mistake and regret it. Don't _you_ get it? Weiss and I are the same - how can you be so angry at her and not me?"

Frozen by the question, Yang's eyes never left Blake as a stunned silence settled over the small room. Yang hadn't expected to be battling both of them on this - especially not Blake, whose ears were now flattened in unconcealed anguish.

Weiss' heart was racing with adrenaline, while her hands shook with something bordering on panic and fear. She'd never imagined that Blake and Yang would know about Coco and Velvet...although she should've expected the duo to inform _someone_ after how they'd found her. And she'd had no idea that Winter had sent the pair after her in the forest. She'd thought it was a coincidence, but that was her mistake. A coincidence in an area that large was hardly more than a shot in the dark.

It was remarkable how - even as she attempted to isolate herself from anyone involved in her past - they'd all remained connected to her life. Winter, finding Weiss missing yet again, called the nearest huntsmen to find her. After rescuing Weiss, Coco and Velvet informed her old teammates of her current status.

The idea that everyone was fully aware of exactly when she hit rock bottom wasn't exactly comforting, but there was very little she could do about it now. It was nothing more than yet another low moment in a year full of them.

The emotionally-charged impasse ended when Blake reached out and gently picked up Yang's hand, giving it a small squeeze to go along with a hopeful smile.

"You forgave me…" Blake whispered. "And Ruby forgave me, too."

"Of...course…" Yang replied haltingly, her brow furrowed as if she didn't understand how Blake could even question that outcome. "But…"

When Yang's eyes flicked across the room, Weiss understood what her teammate wanted to say next.

But Weiss was different. What she'd done was truly horrible, and she didn't _deserve_ forgiveness, not like Blake did. She should be punished for her mistakes - that's what she deserved.

But Yang didn't say it. Instead, her brow creased even further, like she was also wondering why she couldn't say it.

Swallowing her anger, Weiss decided that maybe this _was_ her fault, and she just couldn't see it yet. Or maybe this was no one's fault at all.

"You don't think I paid for it?" she asked softly, physically exhausted from the yelling and fighting. "You don't think I regretted it every...single...day?" Raising one hand to her nose, she found her fingers trembling madly while her words came out breathless and staccato.

Every day she'd lived in regret. Every day she'd shouldered the weight of emotions - the crushing guilt, the ceaseless pain, the unrelenting loss. There wasn't a single moment of respite. Not a single moment of sunshine. Every day she continued to breathe, she'd paid for her mistakes. She'd suffered - she'd made sure of that.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched one fist to steel herself for the words she should've said long ago.

"I can't undo the past. Believe me; I wish I could," she said, making sure to look Yang directly in the eyes. "I can't take back what I did...but I sure as hell can try to make up for it."

The only way forward was...forward. No more running, no more hiding. She would earn her forgiveness the hard way - by proving herself every single day.

Blake nodded in acceptance of the words, but Yang's response was to stare back. For once, she looked at a complete loss for what she should say or do next. Her eyes faded to lilac and she stared - struggling to comprehend what had just transpired between them.

Two quick knocks drew their attention towards the door of the empty hospital room, where a slender doctor poked his head in to find them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting..."

"No, please come in," Yang said, raising one hand to rub the bridge of her nose before letting out a big sigh.

"I wanted to let you know that you can see Miss Rose now. We've finished our tests - she's going to be just fine."

The positive news lifted an incredible weight off of Weiss' chest, while the tension in the air cut in half. As long as Ruby was going to be alright, the rest of them could continue to sort out their issues. But Ruby was the glue - she always had been.

"What happened?" Blake asked, glancing at Yang to gauge her reaction to the question, but Yang's eyes were fixated on the man while waiting for a response.

"There was a small amount of scar tissue that accumulated around the site of the injury," he explained rapidly. "Our brains can swell and contract for many different reasons - weather, stress, excitement - and, for whatever the reason, her brain swelled slightly, pressed against the accumulation, and she briefly blacked out."

"But we were here several times, and you were always looking for scar tissue..." Blake commented, her eyes narrowing as she caught on to something.

The subtle way he clasped his hands in front of his white coat looked too much like wringing them together - it was almost an admission of guilt.

"Despite our best efforts, sometimes the buildup can be too minimal to appear on normal scans."

Blake and Yang shared a look at the response, while a growing amount of discontent replaced Weiss' concern.

"Can you fix it?" Yang asked, her level tone making it impossible to tell if she was irritated or not.

"Yes. We already removed it with a small laser and will send her home with medication to break up the rest." Smiling, he seemed far too happy that he was able to give them a solution to a problem he had most likely allowed to occur. "With a little rest, she'll be feeling perfect in a few days."

Slightly frowning, Yang nodded once at the answer.

"Thank you, Doctor," Blake replied in Yang's place before the man bowed and scurried out of the room.

Silence hung in the air while the three of them digested the information they'd received.

Scar tissue? They'd rushed to the hospital due to some lingering scar tissue that should've been remedied months ago? Weiss nearly had a heart attack over a minor medical emergency that should've never happened?

"I'm going to sue him for every Lien he has," she seethed, stalking towards the door while her heart still pounded with adrenaline. Not only was this something that should've been checked and double checked, but it had unnecessarily sent Ruby back to the hospital. And it had also brought Weiss back to one of the places she feared most. The most aggravating part was that this entire episode was avoidable if some doctor or nurse had paid more attention to the scans or taken the time to run a more extensive one.

But Weiss' anger only made Yang sigh while she opened the door to exit first.

"Relax, Weiss. They fixed it; she's fine. Everyone makes mistakes. At least it wasn't life-threatening."

The comment probably wasn't meant to be a dig at her past, but Weiss immediately backed down and canceled her plans to ruin the man's life. It would be a lot of work...and she was just as exhausted as Yang sounded, mentally worn down by the outflow of emotions they'd just gone through.

Trailing Yang into the hallway, Weiss felt her hands trembling as the rush of heightened emotions trickled out of her system. Their prior altercation put on hold, she could focus on what was most important - that Ruby was going to be fine. And Yang was right - people made mistakes. At least no one had been seriously hurt from this one, which was more than Weiss could say about her own missteps…

Blake walked beside Weiss in the hall - both of them at a distance from Yang, but only one of them doing it by choice. After asking a nearby nurse for directions, Yang headed towards the other end of the hall without even a glance to see if they were following.

But follow they did, with Blake's ears flattened in subtle distress over her separation from Yang's side. If Weiss' heart wasn't climbing into her throat with each step, she'd try to reassure Blake that everything would be alright. Instead, she was trying to prevent a new set of worries from spiraling out of control.

Maybe it was only a minor issue, but Ruby had passed out for a period of time that was alarming for any healthy person. With her history of head injuries, what might've happened to her mind during those short moments? Had everything remained...intact?

Defensive, beaten down, and extremely, extremely fragile, Weiss found it difficult to summon the wherewithal, even internally, to voice her true concerns.

But...what if Ruby didn't remember her again? What if all was lost, once more? What would she do then? Would she make Yang's words true and run again?

The hallway, which had once seemed quite long, disappeared under their feet as they headed to Ruby's room. Slowing to a stop at the private hospital room located two doors from the end of the hall, Weiss only caught a glimpse of Ruby through the window before Yang opened the door.

"Hey there, superstar!" Yang called out while walking inside. From her tone, it was impossible to tell that she'd just been so angry, but that was Yang - able to flip back to happiness in a heartbeat to cheer someone up. Everyone else, especially Ruby, always came first in Yang's book. It was a level of self-sacrifice few would notice, and even fewer would ever truly understand.

Even though Weiss had every intention of following Yang into the room, her feet rooted themselves to the ground outside the door and remained stubbornly in place. Not expecting Weiss to stop so suddenly, Blake accidentally bumped into her from behind.

"Come on, Weiss," Blake whispered, prodding Weiss forward. But she wouldn't move. Her muscles had frozen as uncertainty, and dread quickly ate through her willpower and left her undecided.

"But what if -" she began to ask, unable to finish the fearful question out loud.

"Then I'll tell her you're my sister," Blake joked before placing her hand on Weiss' back and gently pushing forward. Stepping through the doorway with wooden legs, Weiss felt her pulse steadily accelerating - climbing and climbing while she absorbed in the scene in front of her.

It was a hospital room, just like _the_ hospital room - the one where Weiss spent countless hours of her time while waiting for Ruby to wake up. The machines looked the same...intimidating and scary to the uninformed. The window looked the same, although the windowsill was devoid of flowers and get well wishes.

But there was one big difference between this room and the room Weiss remembered - Ruby was awake.

Sitting up in the hospital bed, Ruby looked...perfectly fine - alert and cheerful regardless of the circumstances. Even so, Weiss approached cautiously, internally dreading the moment silver eyes might find her and slide right past without a flicker in recognition.

But when Ruby's eyes landed on Weiss, it wasn't lack of recognition which lit her face - but rather a giant smile of jubilation. And...suddenly everything seemed so much lighter. It became a foregone conclusion that Weiss would walk further into the room - wanting to be closer to Ruby. And it was one of the easiest decisions Weiss had ever made to sit in the chair right by Ruby's side.

"Jeez, Ruby, trying to give us a scare," Yang was saying, perched on the edge of the hospital bed. When Blake sat in the seat next to Weiss, Yang shot a glance towards her before looking away. "Maybe next time you could give us a little warning before your brain tries to kamikaze itself?"

Ruby giggled at her sister's light-hearted teasing and didn't complain when Yang reached out and ruffled short brunette hair into an adorable mess.

"You didn't abandon the hunt, did you?" Ruby asked in return, her eyes filled with worry at the prospect.

"Naw - we were already on the way back when Weiss called," Yang explained, refusing to look at Weiss even while saying her name. "We had the airship drop us off on the roof."

"They'll do that?"

"If you threaten them enough they will," Yang responded with a chuckle, running one hand through her hair with a little more nonchalance than most people would be comfortable with. Her little sister, however, was not at all disturbed by the disclosure of threatened violence.

"So you got him?" Ruby asked instead.

"Did we?" Yang replied with a huff, which only made Ruby look back and forth between Blake and Yang while waiting expectantly for the answer. "Yeah, yeah we did," Yang finished, reaching out to give her sister a high five when Ruby raised one hand.

"One less hugger in the world!" Ruby cheered, sending Weiss a quick thumbs up and goofy grin.

"You know it! And damn that was an appropriate nickname. Although his hugs were not at _all_ nice." Her eyes temporarily shifting out of the room and back to the forest, it was only a second before Yang shrugged off the memory and smiled. "Then we rushed back here to see you!"

"Sorry…" Ruby mumbled, picking at the blanket lying unused by the side of the bed.

"Don't be sorry, Ruby," Yang said while tapping her sister on the shoulder. "Could use some excitement around here every once in a while! Things were getting a little boring." When Ruby giggled, Yang leaned forward and looked her sister directly in the eyes. "But how are you feeling?"

"Like a ten!"

"Like a ten? On a scale of one to five, you feel like a ten?" Reaching over, Yang tapped the empty IV beside the bed. "What're they giving you?"

"Yannggg," Ruby whined, making her sister laugh.

"Ok ok," Yang finally said before letting out a relieved sigh. "I was worried."

Sensing the shift in tone, Ruby raised both her arms and beckoned for a hug that Yang willingly gave. While the two sisters shared a sweet moment, Weiss glanced at Blake - who also had a hint of a happy smile in place watching the two hug it out.

"They could call you Hugger 2.0!" Ruby proclaimed when her sister pulled away, making them all chuckle. She grinned around the room before her eyes returned to Yang and her smile lost a bit of its luster. "Have you...talked to the doctor yet?"

Yang's grin disappeared while she reached over to pick up Ruby's hand.

"For a little bit -"

"I can still train and stuff, right?"

When Yang's gaze fell towards the ground, Weiss was suddenly painfully aware of how often Yang must've been forced into being the bearer of bad news. How many times had Ruby asked a question that was out of Yang's control? How many times had Yang wanted, more than anything, to give her sister a good report when it was simply too far out of reach?

"I'm not sure, Ruby..." Yang replied, squeezing her sister's hand. "But he said you should be feeling better in no time. We'll ask him specifically about your training, ok?"

"Ok…"

The disappointment on Ruby's face was so palpable that it threatened to break Weiss' heart. Even though Weiss never wanted Ruby to be a huntress again, how could she possibly wish for Ruby's sadness? After putting in so much time and effort...after wanting it so badly and working towards it every day...

"I'm sure he'll say you're just fine," Weiss added with feigned confidence. "You'll be back out there before you know it."

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the stunned expressions Blake and Yang sent her. And she definitely didn't miss the grin of joy the words brought to Ruby's face.

She understood why Yang was cautious about giving the green light, but the doctor had said Ruby would feel 'perfect' in no time. 'Perfect' normally didn't mean 'better with some restrictions.' If Yang was going to be upset about it...well, she could add it to the growing list of grievances and yell at Weiss later.

"I like Weiss' answer way better!" Ruby replied.

"Oh yeah, course you do," Yang said, giving Weiss a look of disbelief before turning back to Ruby with a teasing grin set in place. "But you know that the doctor gets the final say. And is Weiss a doctor?"

Looking past Yang, Ruby smiled at Weiss and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah, I think she is!"

"Nooo, no she's not -"

"But look at her! I really think she is!" Ruby added, giggling when Yang shook her head. "I get it, Yang. You only want me to listen to the hospital doctors, not the Weiss doctors."

Weiss let out a small chuckle at the comment while Yang nodded.

"Yes. Thank you." Satisfied with how the conversation ended, Yang popped back to her feet. "Hey, how about I get you some dessert from the cafeteria?" she asked while shuffling backward towards the door. "I know how much you like the cookies here."

"Ohhhh yeah! Can I have chocolate chip _and_ double, double chocolate?" Ruby asked, her eyes begging her sister to agree.

"I'll get you one of every type!" Yang replied with a grin and wink.

"I'll come with you?" Blake asked, getting to her feet before Yang could leave.

The question, while seemingly simple, was so out of place it immediately caught Weiss' attention. Blake and Yang normally didn't ask questions of each other - they just knew. If Blake was unsure about Yang wanting her company, she must be unsure of how far across some invisible line she'd stepped.

How much had Blake gone against Yang's wishes in welcoming Weiss back - in taking Weiss' 'side' in this war that would have no winner?

Guilt bubbled up in Weiss' chest for putting her two teammates through this horrible situation. First, she left them on their own to help Ruby. Now, she was causing turmoil between them. They were the perfect pair - they always had been - yet even they weren't spared from the repercussions of her mistakes.

"Yeah, of course," Yang replied, finding a small smile while reaching out for Blake's hand. A flash of relief crossed Blake's face as she accepted Yang's hand and the two of them exited the room together - leaving Weiss and Ruby behind.

Glancing at Ruby, Weiss immediately smiled. There were no words to describe how relieved she was that Ruby was fine - that this entire episode was nothing more than a small bump in her recovery.

"You remember me."

It was the first thing Weiss thought to say, and it only succeeded in making Ruby laugh.

"There's no way I could forget you, Weiss!"

It didn't matter that the words weren't true. The sentiment was more than enough to fill Weiss' chest with a warm glow. A few minutes ago, she'd been convinced that the sky was falling, but her brief panic had been uncalled for. Ruby was stronger and more resilient than anyone else Weiss had ever met, so it should come as no surprise that this incident was just a blip on the radar.

"I'm sorry I scared you though..." Ruby added, her eyes conveying twice as much apology as her words.

"Don't worry; I wasn't…"

The lie formed itself, but Weiss' response faltered under Ruby's watchful gaze.

It was an instinct to hide behind words, but there was no reason to be untruthful. Not with Ruby, who probably already knew just how scared Weiss had been.

"Yes, I was scared," she answered, reaching out and patting Ruby's hand. "But you're alright, so I'm all better now."

Being honest with Ruby was refreshing. The lack of gamesmanship and misdirection lifted a tremendous weight from Weiss' shoulders, allowing her to enjoy conversations without being on edge.

But while she could be honest with Ruby, they hadn't yet reached the point where she was comfortable being forthcoming in her responses. There was no reason for Ruby to know just how scared Weiss had been, how many flashbacks she'd suffered on the way to the hospital, how she'd imagined the blood staining her hands - blood that had long since disappeared but never fully washed away.

She'd just relived the worst moment in her life, and staying here, in the hospital, meant that it wasn't over yet.

How many days had she spent in a room almost exactly like this one? How many times had she accidentally fallen asleep in one of these chairs, as uncomfortable as they were? How long had it taken for that windowsill to fill with flowers and cards from friends and family?

Along with the flowers from well-wishers, she'd ensured there was always an abundance of red roses in the room. The smell of the hospital put her on edge, and when Ruby had suddenly stopped smelling like fresh rose petals -

Weiss was startled from her thoughts when a warm hand clasped around her own and gently squeezed. Distracted by the sensation, she looked down and found Ruby calmly holding her hand.

"Hey...it's ok," Ruby whispered, giving Weiss' hand a soft shake.

The words were so simple, yet they made Weiss smile as relief built in her chest and worked outward through her limbs. The tension she'd unwittingly held in her shoulders began to fade away, while the crease in her brow smoothed itself out.

Maybe she'd just relived the worst moment in her life, but this time the ending was different - Ruby was perfectly fine, and Weiss was still in her mind. This was nothing like last time. Even if it was...well, Weiss had already learned which decision was the wrong one.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Weiss whispered while Ruby subconsciously rubbed her thumb back and forth across the back of Weiss' hand.

"All thanks to you! Getting me here all fast and stuff." Grinning - while still holding Weiss' hand - Ruby glanced at the heart rate monitor beside the hospital bed. "Wish they wouldn't hook me up to these things though," she added. "The sound kinda freaks me out."

"Oh, well we can turn that off." Reaching over with her free hand, Weiss found the dial on the side of the machine and turned it all the way to the left. When the beeping stopped, Weiss looked at Ruby.

"There. Is that better?"

"Yeah…" Ruby replied with a sheepish grin. "Guess I probably could've figured that out…"

"Don't worry about it. That's what I'm here for."

Something about the response made Ruby beam with happiness.

"Then I'm mighty glad to have you here with me!"

The ceaseless gratitude shot a wave of guilt straight through Weiss' heart, but she tried not to let her smile falter.

There was no going back. There was no changing the past. But she could be here now. And she could make sure she was the best for Ruby that she could possibly be. She could make up for the past by being even better in the present. That was her goal. That's how she could make this right - for all of them.

"Oh! But you were gonna tell me something!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed. "And then my dumb brain decided to shut off."

"Oh...right."

After the chaotic events of the past few hours, that was the last thing Weiss expected Ruby to remember.

What she'd nearly told Ruby was that they'd gone to Beacon together - that they'd been teammates, partners, best friends...and more. Weiss had nearly confessed that she was the one who'd given Ruby the ring hanging around her neck, and she was the one who'd left when Ruby got hurt.

At that moment, it had felt like the right time. She couldn't allow Ruby to believe that her partner died. No matter how much they'd lost, Weiss couldn't bear for Ruby to believe that there was no one out there waiting for her - that someone who'd spent years training with her would have such little attachment.

But in the end, maybe it was better this way. Without the pressure of being Ruby's partner, maybe Weiss could carve out a different spot for herself in Ruby's heart.

"I wanted to tell you..." she began, her heart pounding while she searched for the right answer in this situation. "I wanted to tell you...what an inspiration you are. With everything you've gone through and how you've rebounded...it gives me hope that one day I'll able to do the same."

It was a far cry from her original intent, but the words she said were still true. And if Ruby didn't believe the answer, there was no way to tell from her blinding grin.

"Of course you can! You can do anything! And I'll help you, you know, so don't even worry."

Worry was exactly what Weiss felt though, though she hoped her smile implied otherwise.

How was it that Ruby always had never-ending faith in Weiss and her capabilities? Would that change if Ruby knew the truth? Would that change if Ruby knew all of the ways Weiss had failed - the missteps she'd made and the people she'd disappointed?

It was too difficult to consider her list of failures at the moment. After the events of today, the past might be best left just where it was...in the past.

"Then I'll have to find a way to thank you for your help," Weiss said when a thought popped into her head. "Unlimited ice cream, maybe?"

"Is that a real thing?" Ruby squealed with happiness. "I'll do anything for it! What do you need help with? I hope it's not keeping your brain from exploding, cuz obviously I suck at that. But if it's working on a weapon, or being really fast, or something like that - I'm your girl!"

"My girl…" Weiss repeated. The phrase threatened sadness, but somehow she overpowered the emotion and smiled instead. "I like the sound of that."

"And I like the sound of unlimited ice cream!" Ruby replied gleefully. "Oh! Do you wanna hear about all the tests they ran on me?"

When Weiss nodded, Ruby immediately launched into her story.

"Ok, so first was this _giant_ machine that scans your brain. I hope you don't get claustrophobic because you definitely will be in there! When it turns on, it makes this horrible loud noise. I told the tech guy to turn it down a notch, and he turned on the speaker and said that since I moved we had to start over!"

Listening to Ruby's amusing re-telling of the evening, Weiss chuckled at the appropriate moments while gently rubbing her wrist. The skin there was red and tender, but it wouldn't take long to heal. She was lucky that Blake was able to tame Yang's rage. When Yang saw red and wouldn't hear reason, she still heard Blake - that was one of the reasons they made such great partners.

It was that fiercely protective nature that Weiss had once seen as Yang's greatest weakness. What purpose could flying off the handle at the drop of a hat possibly have? If Ruby was fine, and Blake was fine, who cared if their feelings were hurt or they'd been placed in danger?

It was a weakness to care _too_ much.

Or so Weiss had thought. Then, once upon a time, that protectiveness had included her as well.

It was a feeling unlike any other knowing that someone was guarding her - that someone had her back, no matter how trivial the affront may be. No matter what happened, someone was on her side. Someone was willing to fight for her - and with her.

She'd grown to be protective in return - of her partner, of her teammates - and witnessed the positive impact it had on their fighting capabilities.

It wasn't a weakness like she'd originally thought. Love wasn't a weakness. Love was a strength. It got them through the darkest of times together. When they'd faced the end of the world, together, it was their undying love for one another that brought them safely through to the other side.

Squeezing Ruby's hand, making her smile mid-sentence but not falter in her energetic storytelling, Weiss couldn't help but hope that love could still somehow get them through - just one more time.


	24. Chapter 24

**We've reached the halfway point of this story!**

* * *

If anyone wanted to see the phrase 'helicopter parent' in action, they could come over and experience the combined helicopterness of Yang, Blake, _and_ Weiss. It was incredible! The loud _whomp whomp whomp_ of spinning blades filled the air, following Ruby wherever she went - into the garage, into the kitchen, even in the bathroom she could hear it! Well, not _really_ because it wasn't a real sound, but it was _practically_ a sound by now!

Blake and/or Yang hardly left her side and, if they did, she could still feel one of them watching her closely. Or trying to _not closely_ watch her closely. Like maybe she _wouldn't_ notice them pretending to read or watch a movie while keeping an eye on her instead. And maybe she _wouldn't_ notice how they kind of stalked her around the house.

The forever-stalking was extra creepy at night with Blake's glowy cat eyes. Once or twice, Ruby made the mistake of glancing down the hallway on her way to bed and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw glowing eyes in the distance. They either belonged to Blake or a ghost, but she was too scared to find out which!

On top of the Glue Crew (Ruby's new nickname for Yang and Blake since they stuck to her like _glue_ ), Weiss was sending nearly constant messages asking how Ruby was doing. Seriously, Weiss checked in at least once every hour, sometimes twice every hour.

Not that Ruby minded the extra attention from Weiss...it was nice that they were thinking about each other so often! Maybe Weiss was primarily worried about Ruby's health and wellbeing, but Ruby could pretend that that was the same thing...she was _great_ at pretending things.

But seriously, she'd had the equivalent of a bad headache! And then she might've passed out or whatever, and they might've had to use the little laser on her again - but come on! A pack of ice and pat on the back probably would've had her up and running in no time. Nope! She had to go to the hospital and that meant more tests and medicine and yadda yadda. The doctors used big words that she didn't understand, so she spent most of her time nodding even though she had no idea what they were talking about. Why couldn't they just call her brain a brain? Why were there different names for simple things?

Now she was perfectly fine, but everyone was treating her like she might explode at any minute. Apparently, she'd earned a new nickname - Ticking Time Bomb Ruby.

Why wasn't she in charge of her own nicknames? She was _way_ better at coming up with them than Yang.

On the slightly-really horrible side, after talking to the doctor Yang had banned Ruby from any and all physical activity for the next few days. Which sucked! But it was just a precaution to make sure her brain shrank a bit before she worked it up again. Who would've thought people would wish for her brain to _shrink_? Certainly not her grade school teachers…

Barred from physical activity, forced to get a decent amount of sleep every night, and given another pill bottle to add to her tower. This one would be a cinch - no side effects, only a handful of pills, no problem! She could take them all at once! But that was highly not recommended.

There was good news in the midst of the crummy news though!

Unlike before - when Ruby had to twiddle her thumbs when she wasn't allowed to train - now she had a friend to talk to! Thankfully, Weiss seemed more than happy to chat whenever Ruby wanted, so her days of mandatory rest would pass quickly. And, as soon as the time was up, she was going to beg Blake to practice with her again. After going on one hunt, she wanted to go on more. A somewhat-suspect brain wasn't enough to stop her!

Glancing at the time, Ruby tossed her scroll on the bed and headed out of her room so she could catch Blake and Yang before they left for the night. Once in the hallway, she walked to the kitchen. Walked.

Walking was soooo slowwww. It was such a waste of time! If she moved faster, she'd get to the kitchen faster and have more time to do other things! But Yang had specifically banned Ruby from using her semblance and had even set a speed limit in the house - anything more than a walk and Ruby had to organize all of Yang's shoes, which was _not_ something she _ever_ wanted to do.

So she was walking everywhere. And they didn't need a bigger house because _this one_ was already _way_ _too freaking big_.

When she finally made it to the kitchen (about a decade later), she found Blake and Yang putting away the dishes from dinner. Well, Blake was putting away dishes while Yang held onto her and whispered into her ear, making her laugh about something.

"The doctors didn't permanently attach your hand to Blake, did they?" Ruby joked, drawing their attention her way.

"Why yes they did," Yang replied with a grin, refusing to remove her hand from Blake's side. When Blake tried to move away, Yang clasped onto a handful of her shirt to keep her in place. "They said it was medically necessary for my survival. And ya know what? I've never felt better."

Ruby rolled her eyes at Yang's overjoyed smile. Her sister was impossible to tease, as usual. No matter what Ruby said, Yang could always turn it around and make it some sort of weird compliment.

But _something_ was up with them. They'd been extra fond of each other recently...and that was saying something since they were _normally_ extra fond of each other.

"What's up with you two?" Ruby asked after Yang stole a kiss while Blake wasn't paying attention, making her ears twitch in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked, her cheeks blushing a soft red.

"You're like...extra lovey-dovey with each other."

"I'm not allowed to love my girlfriend?" Yang asked, sharing a warm smile with Blake.

Shaking her head, Ruby decided that she probably didn't want to know what was up with them. For all she knew, they were celebrating some sort of anniversary that should _not_ be shared with siblings or any other family members. No thanks. Her ears didn't need to bleed today! Then they'd probably rush her back to the hospital, and they'd have to start this whole thing all over again.

"How are you feeling?" Somehow, Blake managed to peel her attention away from Yang just long enough to ask Ruby that question.

"Good as new!" Flashing two thumbs up, Ruby grinned. "I feel like I could run a whole marathon and not get tired!"

"That's great! Cuz I've been meaning to organize my shoes _forever_."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her sister when Yang laughed.

"I'm not gonna run around! But I feel fine," Ruby added before glancing at the clock over the stove. "Shouldn't you be leaving soon? I thought the concert was in an hour!"

"It is. And yes, we should be," Blake answered before giving Yang a playful shove towards their room.

Tonight was the night of the Achievemen concert Weiss gave Yang tickets to. Thankfully, Blake had convinced Yang _not_ to blast the albums on repeat all day long - something about how Blake didn't want Yang to 'wear out' the songs before they heard the live versions. And there may have been a more violent threat whispered right after that, but it had been too low for Ruby to hear. It made Yang more than willing to agree though!

"This is gonna be the _best_ _night ever_ ," Yang said with a smile. "Just me, Blake, and backstage passes to meet the Achievemen. We'll be close enough to see them sweat! Isn't that awesome?"

The look on Blake's face said that that was not at all awesome, but she nodded anyway.

When Yang got excited like this, her mood was impossible to dampen. A fire hose wouldn't even be enough to calm her down. Ruby would love to try that out though, just in case. But it probably wouldn't work, and then Yang would be mad that Ruby sprayed her with a fire hose.

"We even get to meet them after the show! Gonna get some autographs for sure," Yang continued happily. "Next time you've gotta come, Ruby. You'd have a -"

The sentence abruptly cut off as Yang's smile fell.

"Oh _shoot_! We need someone to watch Ruby if we're gonna be gone!" Yang said, turning to Blake with an expression of concern.

"Yangggg, come on - I don't need a babysitter!" Ruby whined. "I can take care of myself!"

"Uh huh...and what're you gonna do if your brain tries to explode itself again?" Yang retorted.

"I'm _pretty_ sure that won't happen!"

"How sure?"

"I'm not a doctor!" Ruby replied, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation.

Following the conversation, Blake tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the countertop before intervening.

"I'm sure Weiss would be willing to come over," she suggested. Ruby's eyes widened at the idea - which was genius. Leave it to Blake to figure out the best solution ever.

"That'd be pretty cool if Weiss came over!" Ruby quipped, her happy endorsement making Yang smirk.

"Oh really? What was all that whining for then?"

Furrowing her brow, Ruby nodded her head as if she was seriously pondering her sister's words. "I've reconsidered that, and...I think it _would_ be a good idea to have someone here. Just in case."

When Blake shook her head and Yang laughed, Ruby couldn't help but smile.

"Ok, short stack." Yang reached out and tried to rustle Ruby's hair, but Ruby successfully dodged out of the way. "Why don't you see if Weiss can come over now?"

Grinning at the question, she _almost_ used her semblance to blast to her room to retrieve her scroll. But she didn't. She walked quickly. Which was still _so freaking slow_. At this pace, the concert would be over by the time she reached her room, and then she'd never get to see Weiss.

It took a gazillion steps to get out of the kitchen and another quadrillion to make it down the hall, but she eventually made it to her room. Grabbing her scroll off the bed, she typed out a quick message.

'Blake and Yang won't leave for the concert unless someone is here to watch me. Can you come over?'

She only waited a few seconds for Weiss' response to arrive - a very succinct 'On my way.' Weiss always had such concise answers. Even her messages were tidy - it was cute!

Er, it was...interesting. Which apparently meant the same thing as cute these days.

Beaming at what had unexpectedly become an awesome evening, Ruby decided to keep the scroll with her so that she wouldn't have to cross Remnant to get it again. After another full day of walking, she flounced into the living room and caught her sister and Blake at the end of a kiss.

"She's on her way!" Ruby announced, but her presence did nothing to put space between them.

Jeez...what happened to the days when they'd separate a _little_ bit? Not that she cared - they were in love and happy. It was just weird to remember that there was actually a time when they'd acted completely different around her.

A lot had changed since then.

Ending the kiss and playing with Blake's hair, Yang smirked and rolled her eyes at Ruby's news. "Of course she'll drop everything to get here right away..." she muttered.

"But someone will be here to watch Ruby," Blake replied, taking Yang's hand and pulling her towards their bedroom. "So _now_ we can get ready to leave."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say someone is excited to see the Achievemen!" Yang called out, allowing Blake to pull her down the hallway. Ruby laughed at the idea that _anyone_ but Yang liked that band, but she couldn't hear Blake's muffled response. She could imagine it though! It was probably something super clever and witty like 'ha, you wish' or 'yeah, right' or…

There was a reason why Blake was the witty one and not Ruby. She sucked at being witty under pressure!

Since it would take another year or two to walk to her room and back, Ruby hopped up onto the kitchen counter and waited for Weiss to get there. Because Weiss was coming over! Ruby had planned on spending her alone time in the workshop, but this was _way_ better!

Even though they'd been in near constant communication via scroll, Ruby hadn't seen Weiss since the hospital. That was only a couple of days ago, but it felt like they'd been apart _forever_. Sending messages was nice, but it was nothing compared to hanging out in person! A message didn't have Weiss' voice or her eyes...that would be really weird if they did though. Oh! They could video message! Although Ruby had to wonder if Weiss would be ok doing that. It wouldn't be an option when Weiss was at work or doing something important, but maybe at other times?

Waiting for the time to pass, Ruby swung her feet and traced her fingers along the scar on her wrist. It had been a long time since her arm really hurt. Sometimes there was a slight achiness in it when she overused it, but even that was disappearing with time. The scar would never disappear though, which was fine with her. It gave her something to remember the injury by since she didn't have the actual memories of it. Plus, scars were supposedly attractive, right? She'd heard Yang say something about that once...and she definitely agreed when thinking about the small scar that ran across Weiss' eye.

Amongst all the interesting things Ruby had ever learned, one of the most interesting was how _interesting_ Weiss was! She was basically...all thought-consuming. For the longest time, Ruby had had such a one track mind - it was training, training, training, and nothing else. Then bam! Weiss walked into their life, and suddenly she was all Ruby could think about.

Ok, Weiss hadn't walked in with a bam. The door hadn't made any sort of noise. And maybe it was more appropriate to say that Ruby now had a _two_ -track mind. One track was reserved for training and becoming a huntress, but the other was exclusively for Weiss. Because Weiss was very, very...interesting.

Hearing Blake and Yang's voices carrying out of the hall, Ruby looked up from her wrist. The two were dressed for a night on the town, as Yang liked to call it. Walking into the living room, they rummaged through the hallway closet for whatever shoes they were going to wear to the concert.

"Jeez Ruby - waiting for someone?" Yang teased while indiscriminately tossing several miscellaneous shoes out of the closet.

"It takes forever to walk anywhere!" Ruby complained, kicking her feet in exasperation.

"It only feels like forever because you're used to moving twice as fast as regular people do," Blake commented with an amused expression. Somehow, she'd already found her shoes and put them on when Ruby hadn't noticed.

"Welcome to how the rest of the world feels!" Yang added with a cheeky grin.

"It sucks," Ruby moped from the countertop. "You're all so slow."

Chuckling at the response, Blake walked over to the front door and opened it - revealing Weiss just stepping up onto the front porch. Not at all surprised that she hadn't been able to knock, Weiss merely looked at Blake and shook her head in admiration.

"Hey Weiss," Blake said with a sly smile as Ruby let out an 'eep!' and jumped down from the counter to greet their guest.

"Weiss!" she called out, meeting Weiss right inside the front door and pulling her into a quick hug. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Yes, we're all very fortunate you could make it," Blake added with a grin while handing Yang the second shoe she'd been searching for.

"Aha!" Yang exclaimed as she took it and slid it onto her foot. After checking her pockets and bag for the tickets, she gave Blake a thumbs up. "Now I'm ready!"

"Guess we can _finally_ leave," Blake teased, taking Yang's hand and heading towards the door. "Getting you there on time will be an achievemen-t of its own."

When Ruby groaned, Yang laughed and pulled Blake close to place a kiss between her ears.

"Have I mentioned that I love you today? Because I totally love you," Yang remarked with a big grin before finally acknowledging Weiss' presence. Her smile fell a bit, but she cleared her throat and spoke first.

"Uh, thanks for the tickets, Weiss," she said, lifting her hand in a loose fist and making a motion like she wanted Weiss to bump it with her own. Weiss didn't understand the gesture at first, but eventually caught on and lightly tapped her knuckles against Yang's.

"You're welcome," she replied, managing a small smile of her own as Yang stepped outside with Blake.

"Oh yes, thank you for encouraging this unhealthy obsession," Blake teased.

"Just wait, Blake. By the end of the night, you'll be begging me for their albums."

"Yes, so that I can burn them."

Chuckling, Yang suddenly stopped and turned back to the house, pointing a finger towards Ruby and then Weiss.

"And you two - don't do anything Blake and I wouldn't do."

"There are actually things you won't do?" Ruby joked.

After making a face at Ruby, Yang pulled the door shut with a "Be back later!"

Left alone in the house, but still able to hear the two girls talking outside, Weiss turned and smiled at Ruby. Ruby's excitement immediately shot through the ceiling - because Weiss was here! They got to spend the night together! Or like, maybe not the _night_ , but at least until the concert ended.

"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked first. About an hour had passed since she'd asked that question, so it was exactly what Ruby expected.

"Perfectly peachy!" she replied with a big grin. "Absolutely amazing! Fantastically fantastic! Extra uh...excellent!"

Weiss pursed her lips at the slew of words.

"I've been asking that too much, haven't I," she said, her clear blue eyes saying that she already knew the answer to that question.

"Nope! Well, yeah, a lot, but I totally don't mind!" Using her best 'totally not minding' face, Ruby successfully erased the concern from Weiss'.

"Well, how about I ask you a different question then?" Weiss asked with a hint of a smile that had Ruby hanging onto every word. "What would you like to do now?"

"Something Yang and Blake wouldn't do!" Ruby immediately answered, throwing her hands up in the air in excitement. "So...clean, maybe?"

The joke made Weiss laugh - and Ruby really liked it when Weiss laughed. There was something so rewarding in seeing light blue eyes sparkle with joy and, for a brief moment, catching a glimpse of a different person - the cheerful, less poised version of Weiss peeking through every expression of true happiness.

If only there were a way to get Weiss to laugh more...then maybe that other version of her could stick around longer...

Oh! Ruby happened to know an extra-awesome and super-effective way to make someone to laugh _oodles_. Duh, why hadn't she thought about this before? It was only something Yang did to Ruby _all the time_.

"I have an idea."

"Really? What is it?"

Weiss' willingness to hear the idea was super adorable, but Ruby didn't need to say it out loud. Instead, she raised her hands and wiggled her fingers in the universal 'I'm gonna tickle you' gesture. Eyes instantly widening in recognition, Weiss took several steps away.

"Ruby…" Weiss' voice was low with warning while she inched towards the living room. "Don't you dare."

When Ruby grinned and stepped forward, Weiss took another step back to match. But Weiss was backing into the living room, where there was very little opportunity to escape. The furniture would work perfectly in Ruby's favor - allowing her to pen the girl in. And if she could get Weiss to the sofa, she would win. Ruby knew all of this from personal experience - on the losing side of things, of course.

Frozen in a draw, each of them waited for the other to make the first move. It was just like sparing! One of them had to move first, and the other would try to react in time.

Grinning at the comparison, Ruby decided to make the first move. She faked a step forward and to the left, which Weiss instantly reacted to, but Ruby was _expecting_ that reaction. Planting her foot on the ground and quickly pivoting the other direction, she just barely managed to reach out and wrap her arms around Weiss before she slipped out of reach. Spinning around, Weiss tried to escape backwards, but all she managed to do was drag Ruby right along with her as they both collapsed awkwardly onto the sofa - which played right into Ruby's advantage.

As soon as they hit the soft cushions, Ruby unwrapped her arms from around Weiss' waist and tickled Weiss' rib cage - by far the most ticklish spot for most people.

And, interestingly enough, Weiss was 'most people.' She let out the most adorable squeal Ruby had ever heard while struggling to get away from the tickling fingers.

"Ruby! You -!"

When Weiss' words dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, Ruby grinned and continued the relentless onslaught of tickles. Weiss looked _so happy_ right now, even as she squirmed and tried to free herself. But there was no way she was getting away from Ruby - Ruby was the tickle master-in-training! Or more of an apprentice.

Wiggling her fingers in between Weiss' ribs, Ruby laughed as she dodged a flailing arm that almost whacked her in the head. She should've tickled Weiss way earlier!

"Alright! You -!" Weiss gasped before a few more giggles escaped. "R-Ruby you win!"

Hearing the magic word, Ruby immediately stopped and grinned down at Weiss, satisfied with the victory.

"God, Ruby - you...dolt," Weiss huffed, trying to regain her breath while a soft red colored her cheeks. "You're...trying to kill me…"

Even though Weiss was pretending to be annoyed, she was still smiling.

Weiss was really pretty when she smiled - a _real_ smile and not those guarded ones she normally used. Like, she was really, _really_ pretty. And when she was lightly panting through slightly parted lips, staring up at Ruby with intent blue eyes that seemed to see right through her, with the two of them intertwined on the sofa...it almost felt like Ruby could - or she _should_ \- lean down, closing the small gap between them and -

Coughing into her hand to clear that sudden thought from her mind, Ruby refocused on Weiss. On Weiss' eyes, not her lips.

"Death by tickles, huh?" Ruby asked, sitting up in order to put some space between them and bury the random craving she'd just had.

"It's possible," Weiss replied with a serious expression as she sat up, too.

"Nuh uh -"

"Yes 'huh,' it's happened before."

Giggling, Ruby patted Weiss on the shoulder. "I'm not falling for that one!"

"Want to look it up?"

A smirk accompanied the question - marking it as a challenge. Ruby's resolve wavered at the look. If Weiss was willing to look it up, maybe she was right. _Or_...maybe she was bluffing and hoped Ruby wouldn't catch her. But that would be tricky. Was Weiss tricky?

Staring at Weiss for what felt like forever, Ruby searched icy blue eyes that were much warmer than their color implied. There _had_ to be a hint in there somewhere...something that gave away whether or not Weiss was bluffing…

When Ruby narrowed her eyes, Weiss playfully narrowed hers in turn.

If Weiss was lying, what would give it away? Would it be in her eyes? Would they slightly squint or change color? Would her pupils be a little bigger than usual, or would she have the tiniest hint of a smile?

Suddenly stumbling over the answer, Ruby beamed in delight. There _was_ one. Weiss had a tell!

"Ok," Ruby replied, sitting nice and straight on the sofa cushion. "Let's look it up then."

Weiss was good. Very composed. She hardly flinched at Ruby's words, but when Ruby reached for Weiss' scroll to put this matter to rest, a hand shot out to stop her.

"Wait."

Ruby beamed at the single word, ready to accept her tiny triumph while Weiss looked baffled at how her bluff had been called.

"Alright, you got me. How did you know?"

"You have a tell, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed, more excited about finding that than about being right. But her words only made Weiss blink in confusion.

"A...tell?"

"Yeah! A tell - like something you do when you're lying! I just figured it out!"

"What?" Weiss asked in shock. "I do _not_ have a tell."

"You totally do!"

"Then what is it?"

Sensing the trap and successfully hopping over it instead of falling into it, Ruby shook her head - sending her hair flying all over the place.

"No way - I'm not telling you! Then you'll just stop doing it!"

"But...you have to tell me!"

"Why?" she asked, laughing at Weiss' miffed expression.

"Because! I...you...you just should!"

"That's _super_ not convincing!" Ruby replied gleefully. "But maybe you can persuade me to part with my secrets?" When Ruby playfully batted her eyes, Weiss looked more shocked than anything else.

"How?"

"I dunno. What's something _really_ awesome that I might want?"

When the question made Weiss blush and turn away, Ruby's cheeks warmed up too. Had Weiss just thought about what _Ruby_ had just thought about? Or something completely different? Something better?

What had Weiss just thought?

"I'm not sure…" Weiss mumbled before turning back to Ruby - the moment of indecision already gone and replaced by a more assured persona. "One million chocolate chip cookies."

Ruby burst into giggles at the offer. Because yes, that was amazing and yes, that was something she'd want, but _also_ because Weiss looked so serious about it! Like this was some business deal and she'd literally hand over a million cookies in exchange for the information.

But Ruby couldn't be bought so easily! Well, maybe normally she could, but not this time!

"Noooo thank you!"

The reply made Weiss' mouth fall open in surprise.

"You're turning down a _million_ cookies," she stated in disbelief while Ruby nodded, pleased with her random thread of self-control.

"Yup! I think this information is _much_ more valuable than that. Plus, I don't think I could eat them all before they went bad!"

Maybe she could, but that was an awful lot of cookies. What would that even look like? Would they fill her room? The whole house? The neighborhood would probably smell like heaven! How much milk would she need to eat that many cookies? They'd have to get their own cow! She'd name him Herman. Wait - did boy cows make milk?

While Ruby contemplated the logistics of receiving one million cookies, Weiss tapped one finger against her knee, furrowed her brow, and bit her lip in the most adorable display of concentration as she tried to figure out how to pry the information from Ruby.

"What do you want…?"

The question wasn't directed at Ruby - it was more like Weiss said it to herself while trying to find the answer in Ruby's eyes.

What did Ruby want? She wanted a lot of things! But knowing when Weiss was trying to lie would probably be _super_ valuable. _Maybe_ she'd be willing to exchange the information for…

Instantly blushing when her brain jumped to something she would absolutely give up the secret for, Ruby averted her eyes and blew a puff of air through her lips.

Why was that her answer? Why was she thinking about that so much right now? Hopefully Weiss' superpowers didn't include mind reading. Otherwise Ruby was in for a world of first-class embarrassment right...about…

Now.

When Weiss' finger kept tapping her knee and nothing else happened, Ruby grinned and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"I can't think of anything!" she remarked. It was a fib. A big, fat one. There was _one_ thing she couldn't _stop_ thinking of right now, but there was no way she could ask for _that!_ No, she'd just keep the information safe and sound for now.

"Nothing?"

"Nope! Plus, I like knowing something about you that no one else does. Even you!"

That last part was the truth. Knowing this information made Ruby special, and she really, really liked the idea that she was special - at least, she wanted to be special when it came to Weiss.

Tilting her head to one side, Weiss stared at Ruby for a long time. Obviously, she hadn't expected Ruby to be so difficult to crack. Which was probably smart thinking - it wasn't every day Ruby found the resolve to turn down a million cookies! She'd probably take that deal ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Weiss was just unlucky tonight.

"But maybe I'll tell you one day!" Ruby added with a grin. Weiss stared for a few more seconds before smiling and shaking her head.

"You're obviously feeling better."

"Yup! I'm great!"

"Good. Because I _really_ don't want to take you to the hospital again."

"And you're telling the truth!" Ruby added playfully, making Weiss' eyes narrow in thought once more.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"You think I'd turn down a million cookies and then just _hand_ this priceless knowledge out for nothing? No way!" Shaking her head, Ruby added, "They'd have to offer me something better!"

"Such as…?"

"Uh, such as…" Racking her brain, she tried to come up with anything that could possibly be better. It was really hard! Weiss had nailed that offer even if Ruby hadn't accepted it.

"Yang would have to shave her head!" Ruby said before laughing at how funny it would be to see her sister with no hair. "Oh! Or, Blake would have to let me take Gambol Shroud apart and tinker with him for an entire - three days!"

That last one was quite enticing, too!

Chuckling lightly, Weiss shook her head.

"So never."

"Basically. It's cookies or bust."

Satisfied with that answer, Weiss nodded and leaned against the sofa. Ruby collapsed backwards too, grinning all the while. Being around Weiss was always really fun and...easy. It was kind of weird because they hadn't known each other that long, but they were already pretty comfortable around one another! Maybe they hadn't known each other for years like some friends did, but that didn't matter, right? As long as they had a good time together, they could be great friends!

This 'making friends' thing was easier than she'd thought. It probably helped that Weiss already knew Yang, but Ruby would take all the help she could get.

With their shoulders barely touching, Ruby waited for a few seconds in silence before deciding that she needed to say something. She was the host, after all! It was important to keep guests entertained and not bore them to death. And it _was_ possible to bore someone to death - look it up!

"So we did what I wanted to do...now what do you wanna do?" she asked, shifting in her seat to look at Weiss.

"I thought I was supposed to watch you."

"You're just going to sit there and look at me?"

Smiling, Weiss shrugged at the question. "Sure, that wouldn't bother me one bit. But is there anything else you'd like to do?"

That was a great question. What _did_ Ruby want to do? There were so many choices! The world was their oyster! Except that they probably shouldn't leave the house, and Ruby wasn't allowed to do anything more physical than shuffle her feet across the floor.

The world was their slightly-restricted oyster!

There were still lots of great options though. They could go for a walk around the house - that would take them into next century. Or they could go into the garage and work on something - maybe Weiss would want to work on a project with Ruby? That'd be cool! Or they could hide Yang's shoes outside. Or...

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed when an idea popped into her head. "I know! We can practice my hand-eye coordination! Can you use your glyph-things to throw stuff at me? Do they work like that?"

When Ruby hopped off the sofa, Weiss's eyes followed her.

"Yes...but throw what 'stuff' at you?"

"Um…" Unsure about an answer, Ruby glanced around. What was small and a good projectile?

Leaving the sofa behind, she walked into the kitchen and started opening drawers in search of something to use. "Aha!" she remarked in success, pulling a handful of silverware out of the drawer and turning back to Weiss. "How 'bout these?"

Looking from the silverware to Ruby and back again, Weiss' expression was one of pure incredulity.

"Let me get this straight...Yang made you invite me over to make sure you don't end up back in the hospital, but you want me to shoot knives at you and hope you can catch them before they impale you?"

"Yeah!"

Smiling, Weiss shook her head. "No...I'm not going to do that."

Her balloon of excitement deflating, Ruby dropped the silverware onto the table as Weiss stood and joined her in the kitchen. Moving with an air of determination, Weiss methodically searched through the drawers herself before pulling open the fridge and rummaging around inside. A few seconds later, she emerged with a bag of grapes in hand.

"I _would_ be willing to throw these at you though," she said with a pleased grin.

See? This was why Weiss was so much smarter than Ruby.

"Yes!"

Pumping one fist in victory, Ruby _slowly_ and _carefully_ made her way back to the living room and stood in front of the television. Ok, that was a lie. She kind of, sort of ran-hopped. But Yang wasn't around to say whether or not it was too fast. A speed limit was useless unless there was a cop around to hand out tickets!

That didn't mean Ruby was dumb enough to use her semblance though. One runaway petal and she'd be as good as caught red-handed.

With Ruby in place, Weiss took a seat on the sofa and set the bag of grapes on the cushion beside her (the coffee table had yet to be replaced after its unfortunate accident). Carefully plucking one grape out of the bag, she held it up for Ruby to see.

"Are you ready?"

Rubbing her hands together, Ruby nodded and focused on the small, green orb between Weiss' fingers. Nodding in return, Weiss tossed the grape towards Ruby in a slow, meandering arc.

Ruby was about to complain that that was _way_ too easy - then a white/blue glyph appeared out of nowhere. The instant the grape hit the glyph's surface, it shot off at a completely different angle and nailed Ruby in the side like a friendly version of a mini rocket.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, watching the grape roll away from her before turning back to Weiss. "That was super fast!"

"Did you think I'd take it easy on you?"

Stunned by the response, Ruby looked at the grape on the floor before grinning at Weiss. There was a playful sparkle in Weiss' eyes that suggested Ruby should've known better than to expect such an easy game.

Well, she knew better now!

"Ok," she said, bending her knees and raising her hands in preparation. "I'm _really_ ready this time. No more drops!"

Nodding, Weiss held another grape up so Ruby could see. This time Ruby made sure to focus _all_ her attention on the tiny orb - every single bit of focus she had in her entire body.

In not-really slow motion, Weiss drew her hand back and let it fly.

Determined to catch this one, Ruby pinpointed the grape in the air and figured out its trajectory - but the game didn't stop there. At the first glimpse of white, she locked onto the glyph as it appeared and determined the angle it was pointing in relation to the grape. As soon as the two met, Ruby shot her hand out to where she anticipated the grape would go and closed her fingers around the squishy object.

"Aha!" she cried out in success, holding up the grape in victory.

"Good job," Weiss congratulated her with a smile.

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed, hopping with joy. "Blake's gotta watch out - she's not the only ninja anymore! Ruby Rose is the sneakiest of sneaky in this house now!"

Ruby waved her hands around like a ninja - making karate chops in the air - before a small object bounced off her side. Looking around in surprise and finding another grape rolling away, she turned back to the sofa and found Weiss trying to stifle her laughter.

"Looks like you missed one, Miss Ninja."

Playfully narrowing her eyes, Ruby popped the grape into her mouth and raised her hands at the ready.

"Oh, you think you're _soooo_ good at throwing grapes and stuff?" she teased. "Bring it on!"

"You're not ready for this."

"I totally am! _You're_ not ready for this!"

When Weiss arched one brow at the lame comeback, Ruby shook her head.

"Or something more witty than that! Just - let's see what you've got!"

Waving her hands around like the world's most skilled goalkeeper, Ruby watched Weiss prepare for the next round of this battle between two equally matched foes. Equally matched, as in one of them was _not_ better than the other.

Maybe Ruby should be concerned by the handful of grapes Weiss was holding in one hand...but she wasn't! She was slick as a ninja! Quick as a cat! More Blake references!

Squeaking in surprise when Weiss threw not one but two grapes in the air, Ruby watched as two glyphs pointing in different directions successfully pelted both grapes into her on opposite sides.

Ok, so Weiss was pretty good at this.

"Lucky shot!" Ruby called out before ducking as a grape whizzed over her head.

She managed to catch one out of the next three grapes thrown her way, but the moment she paused to say "Aha!" two more ricocheted off of her back. Her back! Tossing the grape at Weiss - who deftly dodged out of the way - Ruby yelped while trying to catch two more, but they flew into her instead.

If this was a competition, Weiss was winning. It wasn't even close. But it was _still_ equally matched.

Ruby was going to catch the next one, but then the _glyph_ rotated at the last second and sent the grape spinning off of her shoulder. And the next grape stuck to the glyph for a half second longer than expected, the white patterns swirling together before firing the grape like a shot out of a cannon.

Every time Ruby squealed when a grape hit her, Weiss laughed. And every time Weiss laughed, Ruby couldn't help but laugh too.

Laughing made it a lot harder to focus on the flying missiles, but she started having more success after the first dozen or so grapes. Whenever she managed to catch one, she'd throw it at Weiss - only for it to fly right back at twice the speed.

She was losing the battle _and_ the war, but it didn't matter when she was having so much fun.

"Ok!" she finally called out, raising her hands in surrender (which only exposed her ribs for Weiss to hit with two last-second grapes). "Ok, I give up! You win!"

Slowly lowering her hands, Ruby beamed when she saw Weiss' twinkling eyes and amused smile.

"So you've had enough?"

Ruby smiled when she saw the tease in Weiss' eyes.

Most of the time, Weiss was calm and collected. But right now, she was...playful. It was like she'd briefly let go of whatever plagued her and allowed herself to be _happy_ and free.

Playful, happy Weiss was now one of Ruby's favorite things…

Looking at the floor littered with grapes, Ruby bent down to collect a handful for herself.

"Hey, it's not that easy!" she replied while standing up with her ammunition. "Why don't you try? Teach me your ways, oh wise one."

Ever a good sport, Weiss nodded and stood from the sofa. Crouching slightly, she raised both hands like Ruby had just been doing. After taking a brief moment to appreciate Weiss' super cute expression of concentration, Ruby looked down at the grapes in her hand.

She didn't have super cool glyphs like Weiss did. She had her speed, but that wasn't helpful in this situation - not that she was allowed to use her semblance anyway. But what she lacked in awesome glyphs, she made up for in ingenuity!

She could throw just one grape, but that wouldn't be a challenge. Two would also be pretty easy…

Fortunately, she had the element of surprise on her side - because she had a doozy of a plan!

Picking up a solitary grape, Ruby held it in her left hand and swung her arm back like she was going to throw it. But, at the same moment she let that grape fly, she shot her other hand forward and threw the entire fistful of grapes at Weiss at once.

It was brilliantly executed.

As was the glyph Weiss formed in front of her to capture all of the grapes in midair.

Catching the flash of a smirk on Weiss' lips, Ruby instinctively covered her head and turned as the grapes pelted into her - every single one of them bouncing off of her before falling to the floor.

Only when the barrage ended did Ruby lower her hands and start giggling - looking over to the sofa to find Weiss laughing too. And laughing Weiss was just...the best.

"How did you know I was gonna do that?" Ruby asked through her giggles, only for Weiss to smile and shrug.

"It seemed like something you would do."

"Uh oh."

"What?" Weiss asked, her expression quickly turning to one of concern.

"You know me too well," Ruby concluded with a grin. Relaxing, Weiss returned the grin with a smile - another one of those amazing smiles that reached her eyes and made them shine with joy.

Ruby loved seeing that - she loved it when Weiss smiled so freely. She loved it when Weiss relaxed and had fun. And she loved being able to bring out this side of Weiss, if only for a few seconds at a time.

Ruby would've shared that smile forever, but Weiss eventually broke eye contact and looked at the mess of grapes on the floor. As she did so, her walls slid back into place, and the carefree version of Weiss slipped away.

It was a fast change, and it left Ruby with a strange feeling of loss - but she wasn't discouraged. If Weiss was still here, there was nothing to be discouraged about.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Ruby said as a plan popped into her mind. Runn - walking quickly to the fridge, she pulled out a carton before rushing back to the living room and pressing it into Weiss' hands.

"What's _way_ more awesome than grapes?" she asked, grinning at her genius idea.

Looking down at the carton in her hands, Weiss then looked at Ruby in disbelief.

"You can't be serious -"

"Deadly serious! Come on - it'll be fun!" Pressing her palms together, Ruby begged with her eyes - using the best set of puppy dog eyes she had.

After briefly biting her lip, Weiss fought back a smile while pulling two eggs from the carton and setting the rest on the floor by her feet. Holding one of the fragile items up in the air, she gave Ruby a playfully serious expression that did little to mask her enjoyment of the situation.

"You'd better catch these."

Taking the words as acceptance of the idea, Ruby giggled in delight while hopping over to her spot in front of the TV.

Honestly, she didn't care if she caught the eggs or not. All that mattered right now was that the happy version of Weiss was back.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thanks again for all the support on this story!**

* * *

Who would've thought that keeping photos from years ago on her scroll would be a bad idea? Especially when they weren't password protected and happened to feature a certain brunette who no longer remembered taking them to begin with?

A certain brunette who'd almost used that very scroll and could have uncovered said photos?

"Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Weiss muttered to herself while password protecting any trace of Ruby she still carried with her. Photos, videos, messages...long-lost memories that she'd never dared to look at but had lacked the strength to delete. Even now she didn't have the gall to take the painful journey down memory lane - unfocusing her eyes and flying through the files as fast as humanly possible.

Some images still managed to slip through - flashes of eternally-frozen happiness that made her question why she was going through this trouble. Why must she keep all of this history? Why couldn't she simply buy a new scroll and toss this one in the trash? Or lock it away in a safe to be opened again far in the future - if at all?

The answers to those questions were simple to find but hard to swallow.

Hints of Ruby lingered upon her...attached to her just as firmly as she clung to their shared past. After all this time, she still couldn't let go of what they'd once had. Which - unfortunately in this instance - meant that she held onto evidence of their relationship far past the expiration date. Regardless of whether or not she looked at the photos herself, she _had_ them. Within her grasp, or within arm's reach at any moment, was proof that it hadn't been a wonderful, short-lived dream.

The dream had ended. The world told her that it was time to wake up and move on. Yet...she still wanted to go back to sleep.

Only when she was positive that every trace of Ruby had been hidden behind a wall of passwords did Weiss set her scroll down on the kitchen table and sigh in pseudo-relief. Now if Ruby wanted to use Weiss' scroll, she was free to do so without accidentally stumbling into pieces of her past self.

Nudging the scroll away from her, Weiss leaned back in her seat and let out another sigh before glancing at the clock hanging above the doorway to the dining room. It was unusual for her to be away from the office at such a reasonable hour. Normally, she did everything within her power to stay late into the night - her ultimate motivation being to avoid moments just like this...where her mind was unoccupied and free to wander.

Wander, where else, but to Ruby?

A smile tugged at Weiss' lips while her fingers calmly tapped against the smooth surface of the wooden table and her mind thought about the night prior.

Other than a brief moment of consuming panic when Ruby picked up the scroll, last night had actually been...really fun. It was such an unusual experience to be filled with infectiously lighthearted and carefree energy - to laugh freely and openly - but that's what last night had been.

For the first time in over a year, the weight pressing down on her chest had lifted - allowing her to enjoy someone else's company without the constant threat of thunderstorms hanging over her head. Of course, Ruby had always been able to convince Weiss to do just that - relax and let go of the responsibilities, the worries, the anxieties. Relax and enjoy the little things - little things like throwing grapes at Ruby to see if she was fast enough to catch them. Laughing together whether she was successful or not. Making a mess and not worrying about who was going to clean it up.

Last night had been classic Ruby - effortlessly sweet and kind, with a good dose of upbeat energy thrown into the mix. And, for the first time in a very long time, Weiss had felt like...herself. Or at least, the person she used to be. For a few hours, she wasn't the broken huntress who'd nearly gotten her partner killed, but just a girl who loved spending time with her best friend. It didn't even matter what they did, as long as they were together.

This meant that, even though Weiss had been initially reluctant to throw eggs at Ruby using her semblance, the two of them ended up having a blast anyway.

Ruby had proven that she was, indeed, fast enough to catch eggs fired (carefully) off of Weiss' glyphs, but they'd also proven that eggshells were too brittle to survive any secondary impact at that speed. If the surface of the glyph didn't crack the egg in midair, Ruby's palm always did.

Naturally, the little speedster insisted that she'd be able to cushion the blow - 'just one more!' she begged each time, wiping raw egg and bits of shell onto the leg of her pants.

A dozen eggs later, zero progress had been made towards that objective. However, the experience had allowed Weiss to view the very literal meaning of the phrase 'egg on the face' while listening to a collection of adorable squeals whenever Ruby thought she'd been successful.

Ironically, they spent the next part of their evening doing exactly what Ruby had jokingly suggested - cleaning. After the eggs and grapes disappeared into the trash can, Ruby had switched on the television to some crime investigation show, but they hadn't paid any attention to it. Instead, they talked about whatever popped into Ruby's magical mind. The weather, in-depth technical details on upgrades to Thorn, her favorite type of Grimm and why (it had been and had remained the King Taijitu, even though Ruby had not yet learned how easily she could take down the beasts using her semblance and Crescent Rose).

It had been the first time since Weiss returned to Vale that she'd had the chance to spend a significant amount of time doing nothing but holding a conversation with Ruby. It was the perfect opportunity for her to feel the brunt of their ruined relationship - to crumble under the weight of loss and hardship - yet the memories never resurfaced. At least, not after the incident with the scroll.

It should have been a challenging evening, which made it all the more incredible how...easy...it had been. They could've stayed up through the night finding random topics to discuss, just like they had at Beacon. Every time Weiss stumbled trying to think of a new line of conversation, Ruby already had three or four more ideas she wanted to discuss. And if Weiss ever felt a thread of history tugging her away, Ruby pulled even harder in the opposite direction - preventing Weiss' attention from waning.

Last night, surprisingly, hadn't been a revisit to the past. It had been getting to know Ruby all over again. It hadn't been painful; it had been...wonderful. Weiss would gladly repeat the evening over and over again without changing a single thing.

Although...they'd made it to the end of the night and Ruby had stubbornly kept one very important subject to herself.

What was Weiss' tell?

How could something like that have gone unnoticed for so long? Weiss prided herself on recognizing personality quirks that gave away emotions. And, in her family, the ability to mask emotions and intentions was vital to survival. However, she had absolutely _no_ idea how she was giving away her lies. And Ruby - who'd known Weiss best in the world - had never mentioned it before.

Was it possible that she'd developed it recently? Or maybe Ruby never noticed? Or...maybe she had, but never said anything?

That was unlikely. Ruby had never been able to keep a secret for very long, especially from Weiss. Then again...how long had Ruby kept the secret of the hidden messages on Myrtenaster?

Speaking of which - for the rest of Weiss' life, any gift from Ruby would be thoroughly examined with a fine tooth comb. It didn't matter if it was merely a birthday card - it was going under a microscope for inspection.

It was a mystery what caused Weiss to take a magnifying glass to the ring Ruby made for her, but a lingering suspicion at the back of her mind said that it wouldn't hurt to double check. Ruby was clever, after all, and apparently quite sneaky.

That suspicion immediately paid off.

Hidden on the inside of the band, cleverly concealed and nearly microscopic, was a single word - 'BELIEVE.' The letters weren't quite as pristine as the ones etched into Myrtenaster, but they were still well-made for their diminutive size.

The singular word of encouragement had excellent timing, as Weiss wasn't sure _what_ to believe anymore. Before she returned to Vale, she'd firmly believed it was in everyone's best interest that she stay away. She wasn't needed or necessary. She would only get in the way and make it harder for everyone else to recover, especially when being a stranger to Ruby was an insurmountable, unlivable situation.

She never believed she would find the courage to stay. She never believed Ruby would give her the time of day. That Blake would ever speak to her again. That Yang wouldn't instantly slam the door in her face.

Now...now she didn't know if she could believe the subtle feelings she was getting from Ruby. Was she misreading cues or grasping at straws? Because at certain moments last night, it _almost_ felt like…

No, she didn't even want to think about that. That had been her imagination and nothing more.

The buzz of her scroll against the table drew her attention back to reality and stopped the spinning of the ring around her finger. Smiling as she reached to pick it up, she froze when it was Yang's picture grinning back at her.

That wasn't a message from Ruby.

Well, clearly. But why would Yang send a message?

Weiss' heart raced as she quickly unlocked the device and read the contents of the message.

'Hey - can you come over?'

Come over? Was it urgent? Had something happened with Ruby? To Ruby? Was it her head again? Or her wrist this time? Had she fallen or tripped or hurt herself in some way?

Somehow, Yang must have heard the barrage of bad scenarios playing through Weiss' head, because another message quickly followed.

'I just want to talk.'

Closing her eyes and putting her head in one hand, Weiss waited for her pulse to slow to a more normal tempo before looking back at her scroll. Thank goodness it wasn't a matter involving Ruby's health, but this might be worse for Weiss' personal health. It wasn't as if the two of them had spoken since their argument in the hospital - nothing more than mere pleasantries, at least. Well, they hadn't spoken more than pleasantries since Weiss had returned…

But now Yang wanted to talk? There was only one subject that the two of them needed to discuss - the one Weiss tried to broach once, only to be succinctly shot down in her attempt. Did she want to try this again? Maybe she could ignore the request. While highly unlikely, it was _possible_ that she was too busy to notice or read the message. There was also the possibility that it had gotten lost in transit - which happened only once every few years or so, but it had happened before.

It was a coward's solution and, unfortunately, not an option for her. If she wanted to see Ruby again, she couldn't ignore the message. And she wanted to see Ruby again. Really, really soon.

"Get it over with," she mumbled to herself, trying to summon the courage to respond. It was the band-aid approach - pull it off with one quick yank, shout a few bad words when the wound stung like Grimm, then be done with it.

Hands hovering over the keypad, she ran through multiple possible replies before settling on a short 'When?' Her answer arrived a few seconds later.

'Now?'

Sucking in a deep breath, she spun her ring rapidly while staring at the timeframe phrased as a question.

Now. Was she ready to do this right now? Or ever? Most likely not, but she could at least make an attempt. She could try to believe, like Ruby was always telling her. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do anything.

'Be right over.'

With the message sent, Weiss stood from the long dining table, but her feet refused to move her an inch towards the door. She stared towards the front of the house as if willing herself in that direction, while her mind began its rapid process of overanalyzing the situation and trapping her in uncertainty.

For whatever reason, her mind stuck on the outfit she was wearing. Was it appropriate? Did she need a change of clothes? It would take time to find something perfect to wear, but what she currently had on wasn't the perfect 'please forgive me' ensemble. This was her work attire, which meant it spoke to power and respect. It wasn't soft enough - she needed softer tones -

Or she needed to stop procrastinating over the color of her shirt and get this over with. Yang wasn't that oblivious - she would understand what Weiss' perfectly coordinated outfit and delayed arrival time meant.

Willing one foot to leave the floor, Weiss didn't dare pause once she was successful. The next foot followed, then the next. She found her keys and bag lying on the table right where she'd left them and headed out the door without a second glance back at the safety of the unfamiliar house. Before she knew it, she was inside of the car and headed down the drive - putting as much distance between herself and dalliance as possible.

Just last night she'd been thrilled that Ruby's home wasn't too far away, but today she found herself wishing that the two properties were a _little_ further apart.

But everything would be alright. Believe, believe, believe…she had to believe that everything would turn out for the best. And, on the positive side, it was Yang who reached out first. Could that mean she was finally ready to talk? Or maybe she was finally done pretending for Ruby's sake. Or maybe...or maybe…

Several hundred rapid scenarios later, Weiss parked in front of the quiet house, sat back in the seat, and stared at the front door. That first night back in Vale, she'd been terrified of what lay beyond that unassuming door. She'd sat and stared at it for what must've been an hour - trying to force herself to go up and knock.

Today, she wasn't terrified, but she was certainly apprehensive. It felt as if she was about to walk straight into the lion's den with a nice steak tied around her neck. Hopefully, the lion had been fed today…

"Band-aid, band-aid, band-aid…" she muttered while creeping up the front walk, dreading reaching the front step but making it there anyway. Taking a deep breath and straightening her posture to feign confidence, she knocked twice before lowering her arm to wait.

The wait wasn't long. Heavy footsteps crossed the living room, and the door swung open seconds after.

"Hey, come on in," Yang said simply, gesturing with her head before heading towards the kitchen table without another glance. It wasn't exactly the greeting Weiss had been expecting, but it was better than any of the more painful alternatives.

Stepping hesitantly inside, she closed the door and followed Yang to the table. As she walked, her eyes roved around the house in search of signs that anyone else was nearby. Yang must have noticed the action because she spoke up a second later.

"Blake and Ruby went out for groceries."

"Oh."

Weiss had expected Ruby to be out of the house, but she hadn't connected the dots to conclude that Blake would be gone as well. Of course, thinking through the situation now, it made sense. How would they get Ruby out of the house unless one of them incentivized her to leave? And if Yang stayed behind to speak with Weiss...that meant Blake had to go.

But Blake's absence was mildly unsettling. Who would calm Yang down if she got heated again?

No, Weiss silently scolded herself while awkwardly resting her hand on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and standing behind it. She couldn't constantly rely on Blake or Ruby's presence to run interference with Yang's emotions. Both of them were great mediators, but Weiss and Yang needed to figure this out on their own. They needed to find a way to be in the same room together and behave civilly.

Just the two of them...Weiss was now wondering whether or not she should've brought Myrtenaster along with her. Could they resolve this with words only, or would Yang prefer to vent some steam in a more physical sense? Not that Weiss was in any way opposed to a good fight if it would bring some resolution or relief, but battling an angry Yang Xiao Long hadn't exactly been in the plans for today.

Sitting down at the table, Yang placed both hands flat on the smooth surface like she wanted to be holding on to something. When Weiss remained standing and did nothing but expectantly stare, Yang finally motioned to the seat across from her. Taking that as a cue to sit, Weiss cautiously pulled out the chair and sat down on the very edge - her posture rigid and straight.

For the first time in who knows how long, the two of them were sitting together, alone.

It was as uncomfortable as would be expected, made all the more apparent when Yang shifted in her seat and cleared her throat. On the other side, Weiss didn't know where to start or if she should say anything at all. This conversation hadn't been her idea, and she didn't want to hijack whatever Yang intended to accomplish.

Thankfully, Yang spoke first.

"I'd like to hear what you have to say…" she said, her voice quiet and constrained while avoiding eye contact. "If you're willing to talk."

At one point in time, Weiss had been nearly as comfortable speaking to Yang as she had been with Ruby. Even though they bickered often, it was always playfully intended or quickly resolved. They'd spent a great deal of time together - just the two of them - discussing their respective partners and relationships.

That felt like a long time ago...especially considering how their last couple of attempts at real conversations had been explosive, at best - destructive, at worst.

"Where...where should I start?" Weiss finally asked. Her voice had already lost much of its volume while her heart pounded in anticipation of the upcoming conversation.

What had Blake's advice been? Be honest. Honesty wasn't exactly Weiss' strong suit...or maybe it was showing vulnerability that consistently sent her running for cover behind her self-constructed walls.

"I don't know...wherever you want, I guess."

Yang's small shrug belied the importance of the conversation - as if they were merely trying to decide where to go for dinner and Yang had no preference in the matter.

"Alright…" Weiss mumbled, internally struggling to find a good way to broach the topic. Opening her mouth and closing it, she briefly shook her head and tried to summon the courage to tell her side of the story. Hands in her lap, she spun the ring around her finger in an effort to calm herself while her heart began to race.

This was the subject she'd spent most of the last year avoiding - now she was supposed to spill everything at once? With no preparation? Ordinarily, she would have formulated a clear and concise list of points to mention, in order of their importance. Or have an entire speech typed out. Or...anything was really better than 'winging it.'

But this might be her only chance to explain what had gone on in her mind - why she'd done what she did and why she'd seen the decision through nearly to the very end.

She didn't feel ready. The wounds still felt too new and unhealed, but...maybe she should acknowledge their existence, for once. Maybe instead of hiding behind the idea that she was 'fine,' she should admit that sometimes she wasn't.

And that terrified her...but so did the idea of never being Yang's friend again. So, any story should start at the beginning - or the beginning of the end.

"I...I ran into Ruby…" Weiss whispered, her mind recalling that fateful moment in the hospital when everything had so suddenly unraveled into turmoil and uncertainty. "The morning that I...that I was supposed to meet you. I got there early, and I...I bumped into her…"

Silver eyes still passed over her in her dreams - not pausing with an ounce of recognition. The moment still haunted her - filling her with hopelessness and despondency. To suddenly become a stranger to the one she loved...

"I thought...that I could start from the beginning...but we'd come so _far_." Pausing when her voice wavered with emotion, she sniffed and forced herself to continue, feeling lilac eyes trained upon her. "It wasn't until she looked right past me that I realized...just how much had been lost. And I...I couldn't..."

Her chest clenched with pain as Weiss risked a glance across the table, trying to gauge if her words were having any impact. From Yang's stunned expression, she had no idea that this interaction ever happened. Of course, how could she have known when Weiss had never told anyone?

"Ruby meant the world to me…she still does..." Closing her eyes, Weiss felt the tremors in her hands as memories she'd held at bay for so long surged through her. The hopefulness, the determination - all dashed to oblivion by a glimpse of silver.

It hurt. It hurt in a way that continued burning even to this day.

"I had...only barely been holding myself together," she admitted, opening her eyes but keeping them fixed on the table. "When she didn't recognize me, it destroyed...everything. My entire purpose...gone..."

The silence in the house was deafening, yet it was the unusual stillness that was as loud as rolling thunder in Weiss' mind. Yang sat in her seat without any amount of normal fidgeting. And Weiss didn't dare move lest her fragile shell finally break apart.

The person she'd once been was lost on that day. She'd struggled to recreate herself, with little success. This was the best she'd been able to do on her own - a fraction of who she once was, a partial shadow that faded or solidified based on the time of day.

"It's all my fault - all of it," she continued, her voice gaining emotion as her eyes stung with the beginnings of tears. "I wasn't good enough. Or fast enough. Strong enough. If I were, none of this would have happened. I ran because I didn't deserve another chance. I nearly got Ruby killed - what if we weren't so lucky next time? She'd be better off without me. You all would. I never deserved any of you to begin with…"

It looked like Yang wanted to interrupt, but she closed her mouth and shook her head instead. Remaining quiet, she frowned towards the table with an air of unhappiness. It was uncharacteristic for Yang to hold her tongue unless someone (and there was only one person this could be) had instructed her not to speak until Weiss had said everything she needed to say.

Taking the lack of response as tacit agreement to her own condemnation of her actions, Weiss continued while her voice was still able to create full words.

"Being away wasn't any easier. I knew you'd get Ruby back on her feet, but me...I thought that maybe I could salvage some...some type of normal life, but..."

Feeling tears grow at the corners of her eyes, Weiss stopped and tried to rub them away, but more immediately sprang into existence and wet her fingers when she pulled them away. A weight was pressing into her chest, making it more and more difficult to breathe while she struggled to push forward.

"I couldn't...move on. I tried. I tried so hard...to forget….but..."

Feeling a lump grow in her throat, she paused and tried to swallow around it. _Don't cry_ , she ordered herself as her breathing grew deeper and more erratic. She needed to hold it together for just a little longer.

"I was on my own...and I was failing…"

Clenching her fingers into fists, the next breath she took hitched in the middle with an unmistakable sob. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, but when she blinked another fell to the table. Staring down at the small wet splotch, she watched through increasingly blurry vision as another one appeared beside it.

She didn't want to say anything more. She didn't want to admit how weak she was. She didn't want to leave herself completely defenseless...but she'd made it this far. She could press a little further - for Yang, for Blake, for Ruby.

"I only came back because I...I almost died..and I...a-almost let it happen, but Coco and Velvet - that's when I realized I d-didn't want to leave without...s-saying goodbye. Without...s-saying sorry..."

Giving up trying to speak and covering her eyes with one hand, Weiss waited for more tears to escape while her shoulders shook with quiet sobs and the reality of her admission sunk in. All this time she'd kept these thoughts to herself, never to be spoken out loud. It was the lowest of her low points - the moment when she'd given up, when she'd run out of the will to survive. Now, its existence was out in the open where it could be used against her.

At least, that's what she thought. Instead, there was nothing but more silence as she struggled to slow her tears. There was no scoff of disbelief. No huff of refusal. Her darkest moment was lingering in the air, yet it was fading away without anyone grasping onto it.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, risking a glance across the table and finding open sadness in Yang's eyes. "I'm so...s-so sorry, Yang..."

It looked like Yang wanted to respond to the apology, but, instead of words, she reached across the table and clasped her hand around Weiss.' More tears immediately started flowing, quickly forming a small pattern of droplets on the smooth surface of the table while Yang's warm hand wrapped reassuringly around hers.

She didn't know how she found the courage to stay in Vale after that first night. Where had the fortitude come from? It certainly didn't feel like she possessed any of her own anymore. The only explanation that seemed remotely plausible was that it was from her teammates - that they'd loaned her strength as they'd always done, giving freely when needed.

Struggling to pull herself back together, Weiss took two deep breaths that broke in the middle with tears. Yang gave her hand a soft squeeze of encouragement with each one, while patiently waiting for the tears to slow. And each small show of support made Weiss want to cry even harder, filled with gratitude for the strength her teammate was willing to provide even after all that had happened between them.

"Can I talk now?" Yang asked only after the sniffles quieted, her voice soft and devoid of any anger.

Thankful that her time to speak had ended, Weiss nodded and wiped her eyes when Yang released her hand. Leaning back in her chair, Yang let out a sigh - one that sounded like it had been held in for a very long time.

"I talked with Blake about...everything," she began gently, as if speaking too loudly might disturb the moment they were in. "I cried - a lot. She pointed out a lot of things that I...honestly, I never thought about. Like how it feels to regret a decision, but not see a way to fix it. Or feel stuck...trapped in that decision. She doesn't feel like she deserved…like she deserves..."

Frowning, Yang gripped the edge of the table while the sentence trailed off. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled with her thoughts, until she finally spoke.

"You know...when she was gone, I was angry, but I missed her so much. When we found each other again, she apologized and I loved her too much to do anything but forget it ever happened. I just...I guess I figured that if _I_ forgot about it, so had she. I never thought…" as Yang's words trailed off, her expression unfocused in memory of the conversation that had taken place. When she shook her head and concentrated on Weiss again, her eyes glistened with tears.

"I don't want her to feel that way..." Yang whispered, her voice wavering in sadness. Turning away when a tear spilled over, she cleared her throat and wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.

The display of emotion made Weiss want to say something - anything - to comfort Yang. Regardless of their current friendship, the last thing she wanted was to see Yang upset or sad like this. But the opportunity passed when Yang took a few deep breaths to collect herself and turned back to Weiss with a determined expression.

"And Ruby wouldn't want you to feel that way either."

Taken aback by the response, Weiss felt her mouth open, but no words come out. Yang wasn't done speaking though - and she continued with more certainty in every word.

"If you feel an ounce of what Blake does, that's punishment enough. And if you swear you'll never do it again, I'll believe you - just like I believe Blake. I won't ever forget what you did, but I think I can forgive you. I _can_ forgive you. And Ruby would've forgiven you - you know that."

Pausing, Yang stared directly across the table to meet Weiss' eyes - not a drop of red in the purest lilac she'd seen in quite some time.

"Learning to forgive yourself...that could be something you struggle with for a long time." The truthful words hadn't yet settled before Yang mournfully shook her head. "You and Blake...you're both so hard on yourselves…"

Even though Weiss remained silent, she knew the reason why both she and Blake expected more of themselves - they wanted to feel worthy of the amazing sisters they were blessed with having in their lives. Yang and Ruby were both too humble to see it...they would never understand how remarkable they were in a world filled with malevolence, corruption, and hate.

"The past year I was so upset I could hardly even _talk_ about you," Yang continued, her brow furrowing in memory. "If I tried, I'd get...just so angry and sad. Blake listened, but never said much - just tried to distract me, ya know. I should've known she was worried. And when we heard from Velvet…" Yang's voice drifted off, and she looked back to Weiss.

"Blake doesn't know I know this, but she was going to go get you."

That statement got Weiss' full attention.

"What?"

"Yeah, it was an accident I found out. She asked me to look something up, so I grabbed her scroll because it was closest. She was in the other room so she never saw, but it opened up to her most recent search - airship timetables." Pausing, Yang gave Weiss a small smile. "I'll give you one guess where she was headed."

The only response Weiss could give was to stare at Yang in shock. Blake had planned to fly to Atlas? How would Weiss have reacted to that? After what happened in the forest with Coco and Velvet, she had to believe she might've burst into tears at the sight of her teammate. That, or she would've steadfastly insisted that her life was perfectly fine.

"But then you showed up and saved her the trip," Yang added more casually. "Also saved me from having to worry about you. I just got to remember how pissed I was." Sighing again, she sadly shook her head, looking disappointed in herself. The expression was apologetic - as were the sorrowful eyes directed Weiss' way.

"I'm sorry...for what I did in the hospital."

"It's alright -" Weiss began to respond, but Yang shook her head, her eyes filled with unmistakable regret.

"It's not. I never wanted to hurt you…" she whispered as her gaze dropped to the table.

"Hey." Weiss very nearly reached out to comfort her teammate but stopped herself at the last second in uncertainty. "Yang," she said instead. "I understand. And I'm the one who's sorry. I...I never wanted to hurt you either…"

Clearing her throat, Yang looked up with misty eyes.

"That doesn't make it ok, Weiss," she said quietly. "I never should've done that. And I never should've said half the stuff I did. I was just...angry. I know that's not a good excuse, but…just know that I don't want you to leave. I don't think that'd be better for anyone - not for Ruby and definitely not for you. Ok?"

When Yang waited for a response, Weiss numbly nodded her head, and Yang nodded as well.

"Good. Want to make sure you know that," she muttered to herself before turning her gaze back to Weiss. "You know...I remember how the two of you were together. You were good for her, Weiss. Better than I ever thought you'd be. If...if she feels that way about you again, I'll support that choice - I'll support you. Because I should only be worried about if you make Ruby happy. And you do. You make her happy. For some dumb reason, she loves being around you. So...I can't be anything but grateful that my little sister is happy again."

Leaning against the back of the chair, Yang looked infinitely more relaxed now that the air had finally been cleared - relaxed enough to give Weiss an easygoing smile.

"When Blake came back, I can still remember Ruby's reaction…" Yang said, whimsically recalling the moment. "She looked at me, and I smiled back at her. So she burst into this huge smile and gave Blake a giant hug in a swirl of petals. Ruby never held a grudge or said another word about it. If she had, I would've told her to cut it out." Yang paused then, her expression turning thoughtful. "Jeez...I'm lucky Ruby doesn't remember anything. She'd yell at me for sure."

"Oh, yelling Ruby is a little scary," Weiss replied.

"Isn't it? Like, she's always so happy! When she's yelling, something's really wrong. And she knows how to deal a _ton_ of damage in a few words. But come on, Ruby's never yelled at you," Yang remarked, slapping Weiss' hand jokingly.

"Well, no…" Weiss conceded after failing to come up with an example to the contrary. "She's yelled _around_ me though."

For as easygoing as Ruby was, she could be every bit as protective as Yang if provoked in the wrong way. One time while they were at lunch, a rather insolent young man had...impolitely...brought up a personal issue he had with Weiss' family. Without raising her voice, Ruby reduced him into a sniffling mess of tears before he ran off with a meek 'sorry.'

The reply made Yang chuckle, seemingly amused at Ruby's hidden talent.

"Consider yourself lucky then. When I was ten, I borrowed one of her favorite Grimm toys without asking and accidentally broke it. She was maaaaad…"

Weiss couldn't help but laugh at the thought of tiny Ruby yelling at her older sister for breaking some precious piece of plastic shaped like a Beowolf. After her laughter faded, the two of them lapsed into a moment of silence before Yang finally smiled - a real smile that reached her eyes.

"I think we've been through enough. Maybe it's time we put all of this behind us and moved on."

The words nearly made Weiss cry again - this time as a giant wave of relief swept over her. If someone asked her months ago to imagine this moment, she wouldn't have been able to. To have a path to forgiveness...even forgiveness that she still needed to earn...was an incredible, remarkable feeling.

It was almost as if, maybe, she still had a chance of redeeming herself.

"I'd like that," she managed to choke out with a flimsy smile of her own.

"Good," Yang answered with a grin before standing up and stretching her back. "Come on, let's hug it out."

Hearing the phrase had never made Weiss happier. Obediently standing, she hardly had the opportunity to move before Yang walked around the table and pulled her into a firm, warm hug. It wasn't strained; it wasn't uncomfortable. It was like...being welcomed home after a very long trip.

Wrapping her arms around Yang and pulling her best friend close, Weiss felt the deep breath Yang sucked in as it expanded through her rib cage and released a moment later in a warm gust of air.

"And you know," Yang whispered. "I really missed you, Weiss."

Tears sprang into Weiss' eyes as she pulled Yang even closer, resting her chin on Yang's shoulder and savoring the best kind of almost-too-tight hug that only Yang could give.

She'd missed Yang too. So much. Their playful bickering, their comradery...Yang had been one of her first friends. Yang had taught her how to stand up for those you loved and not be ashamed of it. Yang had taught her what it was like to have someone you alternatively couldn't stand but wouldn't give up for anything in the world.

"I -" Weiss attempted to say before managing a feeble smile and tilting her head. "Me too."

When the hug finally ended and Yang pulled away, her own eyes shimmered more than usual. Clearing her throat and giving Weiss a gentle pat on the arm, Yang found one last smile that warmed right through Weiss' heart.

"Who said we can't be alone in the same room, huh?" Yang joked, playfully tapping Weiss on the shoulder while she smiled and shook her head.

This wasn't a cure-all for their issues, but it was a start - a much better start than what they'd had so far. And Weiss was determined to make the most of the second chance she'd been given. The last thing she wanted to do was let her team - or Yang - down again.

The nearby sound of car doors closing drew their attention towards the front door, where voices in the yard approached the house. The door opened a few seconds later, and Blake poked her head inside. Quickly surveying the situation, she smiled upon seeing the two of them.

"Hey Yang, can you help with the bags?"

Grinning at the request, Yang patted Weiss on the arm again before walking towards Blake.

"She got you to buy everything in the store, didn't she," Yang commented amusedly.

"No. But it was a lot…"

The admission made Yang chuckle before she placed a quick kiss on Blake's cheek. "I swear, you spoil her more than I do."

"I didn't want her to be disappointed!"

"Because that'd be a horrible thing, wouldn't it?"

When Blake playfully pouted, Yang smiled and reached out to squeeze her partner's shoulder. It was easy to see by the sparkle in her eye that she loved how Blake treated Ruby like her own little sister. But Yang also loved to tease Blake about how Ruby managed to weasel her way through Blake's stout exterior defenses.

"Woah there!" Yang suddenly yelped, holding up both hands and using them to stop Ruby after she careened through the doorway with a bag of groceries in her hands. "There's a speed limit around here, remember?"

"I wasn't running!" Ruby whined before hastily searching the room and letting out a cute gasp when she found Weiss. "You _are_ here! I thought it looked like your car, but Blake said it wasn't!"

When Ruby shot Blake a look, Blake shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"My mistake," she replied nonchalantly as Yang took ahold of her hand and the two of them headed outside together. Unperturbed by Blake's thinly veiled misrepresentation, Ruby quickly dumped the bag of groceries onto the table and hopped over - her expression growing more concerned when she noticed the residual tears in Weiss' eyes.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked, glancing out the door towards the sound of Yang's voice. "She wasn't mean to you, was she? I'm sorry - I didn't know you were coming over, otherwise -"

"No no," Weiss quickly interrupted with a shake of her head. "No, we...we had a good talk." Drawing in a deep breath, she smiled, which made Ruby visibly relax and grin once again.

"Really?"

Nodding, Weiss found an even bigger smile as she replied, "Yes."

"That's great! Right? Like, you'll be friends again?"

"I think so, eventually," Weiss answered, the truth behind that statement spreading like a soothing balm through her veins. A huge weight had lifted from her shoulders - one she hadn't realized she'd been carrying this entire time.

Knowing that this was what relief would feel like, she wished she'd spoken to Yang much sooner. But, realistically, neither of them had been ready to go through that conversation until now. Yang had needed to vent some steam first, and Weiss had needed to scrounge together whatever courage she had in order to be open and honest.

"Do you need a hug?"

"What?" Weiss asked, turning her full attention back to Ruby right as she was pulled into a firm, comforting hug.

Caught off guard for only an instant, Weiss quickly gave in and wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist as she rested her chin on the girl's shoulder. Closing her eyes and letting out a sigh, she turned her head burrowed into Ruby's neck.

Ruby had always given the best hugs. The stress melters - that's what Weiss called them. No matter how difficult or stressful the day had been, one of Ruby's hugs would have her feeling better in no time. Just like now, the strain of her talk with Yang was loosening and disappearing into thin air. It was replaced by the scent of roses, the sensation of Ruby's chest rising and falling with each breath, and the feeling of strong, capable arms creating a barrier that would keep the rest of the world at bay.

It was only when heavy footsteps thumped on the porch that Ruby finally let go, and Weiss blushed when Yang and Blake walked back into the house carrying more groceries.

"You gonna stick around, Weiss?" Yang asked while carefully setting three big bags down on the table.

"Oh, I - I think I have plans," Weiss replied on instinct, her mind scrambling to come up with what those plans might be.

"Blake and I are gonna make dinner," Yang continued, meeting Weiss' eyes with an assuring expression. "You should stay."

Sparing one glance at Ruby, who nodded enthusiastically, Weiss smiled.

"Alright - yes, I can stay for dinner."

"Yes!" Ruby immediately celebrated, raising one fist in victory. On the other side of the table, Blake squeezed Yang's shoulder before both girls began pulling groceries out of the bags.

"And I don't want to know what you two did with a dozen eggs," Yang commented while taking out a new carton from the bag. "But at least you remembered to get some more."

"We cleaned up!" Ruby said, making Yang playfully scrunch her nose.

"I don't wanna know…" she repeated, taking the eggs and several different types of juices to the fridge.

Turning to Weiss, Ruby grinned and shrugged her shoulders. Knowing how good Blake's nose could be, they'd been really thorough cleaning up. It took them quite a long time, but if Blake hadn't complained at least they'd been moderately successful. Except the sudden lack of eggs hadn't gone unnoticed by Yang.

"Ok Super Chopper - get over here and cut up some onions!" Yang called out before launching an onion across the room while quickly shouting, "Onion test!"

Raising one hand, Ruby easily caught the onion before proudly tossing it up in the air and smiling at Weiss. "See? All that practice helped! Now I can show you how the expert sous chefs dice an onion!"

"No cutting up produce with Crescent Rose," Blake declared from the sink. Ruby immediately pouted at the directive, but obediently left Weiss' side to fetch a cutting board and regular kitchen knife to complete her task.

"Can I help?" Weiss offered, stepping closer to the table.

"You're our guest, Weiss," Blake answered. "You can sit and relax - this time."

"Yeah - make Ruby wait on you hand and foot!" Yang added with an evil grin thrown her sister's way. "Ruby! Get Weiss some water, jeez! What a terrible host!"

With an adorable salute, Ruby quickly filled up a glass and set it on the table in front of Weiss. Next, she pulled out the chair and gestured for Weiss to sit down. Obliging the display of manners, Weiss sat down and allowed Ruby to scoot in the chair before she leaned down and whispered into Weiss' ear.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you. I'm good," Weiss answered, blushing at the proximity as Ruby grinned and took the seat to Weiss' left. While her blush faded away, her teammates settled into a comfortable rhythm of preparing a meal together. Ruby diced the onions - close enough that Weiss' eyes began to sting as a steady _chop, chop, chop_ filled the air. Yang put away groceries and folded up the used bags while Blake pulled boxes from the cupboards and measured out ingredients for whatever they'd be eating.

Watching them work together filled Weiss with a sense of warmth that had been missing from her life for quite some time. She'd missed this. The simple things - like making dinner together, racing through a list of chores together, or merely spending time together. As they'd grown closer, anything they'd set out to do followed a cadence that was all their own. They operated on the same wavelength, even if it was on something as mundane as heading out to dinner downtown.

Glancing at Ruby, who caught the look and smiled while still dashing through the pile of onions, Weiss wanted to turn away but found herself caught in that cheerful silver gaze.

"You haven't been over for dinner in a long time!" Ruby commented, slicing the knife worryingly close to the tips of her fingers before expertly sliding them away. "We should do this more often!"

"If you'd like to," Weiss quickly agreed, her eyes flitting to the cutting board before back to Ruby's cheerful expression.

"Maybe next time I'll make dinner!"

Ruby's comment made Blake and Yang laugh from the other side of the kitchen.

" _You're_ going to cook something?" Yang asked in disbelief.

"I could _try_ ," Ruby whined, finally setting the knife down on the board and allowing Weiss to breathe again.

Refocusing on the conversation, she smiled politely at Ruby's offer. Unfortunately, unless a miracle had happened while Weiss was away, Ruby was a horrible cook. Even though she followed directions and had the best of intentions, _something_ inevitably went wrong.

"How about we go out to dinner instead?" Weiss offered, giving Ruby a smile that would hopefully encourage her to choose the easier and more edible option. "My treat."

"Like...just the two of us?"

Suddenly understanding how the invitation sounded, Weiss attempted to backpedal away from the implication.

"I mean, Yang and Blake are absolutely invited as well," she added quickly, glancing towards the kitchen in hopes that one of her other teammates would bail her out of this situation. Of course, Yang shook her head and tapped Blake's side.

"Thanks but no thanks! If you 'n Ruby are going out to dinner, Blake and I are _totally_ taking advantage of having the house to ourselves." Yang's grin only widened after she dodged the dish towel Blake whipped her way.

Briefly scrunching her nose at her sister, Ruby then turned to Weiss with a smile that sent a flurry of butterflies soaring through her chest.

"I'd love to go out with you! Out to dinner, I mean. Not, like - that sounds like fun!"

The blush on Ruby's cheeks was surely reflected on Weiss' as the two of them avoided eye contact and waited for the moment of embarrassment to pass. Of course, the moment wouldn't have ended if Yang had her way, but the instant she opened her mouth it was covered by Blake's hand - much to Weiss' relief.

The invitation had been ill-considered before Weiss made it, but her original intention hadn't been to ask Ruby out on a date. It wasn't a date. It was just a dinner between friends. That was how Ruby saw it. Or, at least, that's how Weiss was pretty sure Ruby saw it...

When Ruby cleared her throat and began scooping the tiny diced onions into a bowl, Weiss was able to glance across the table once more.

"Uh, so maybe we could go tomorrow night?" Ruby asked, shooting Weiss a hopeful smile. Moderately taken aback by the short timeline but unwilling to allow such an opportunity to pass her by, Weiss managed a nod that made Ruby beam while she turned back to her task.

Even if it was _just_ dinner, it was another chance for Weiss to spend time with Ruby - and that was worthy of being excited about.

Excited and...Weiss needed to figure out where they would go. Any of their favorite spots were likely off limits because there could be an employee still working that would remember the two of them. It needed to be someplace new but magnificent. And not too fancy, unless Ruby had developed a taste for the 'complicated' foods she'd never enjoyed...

A small gasp suddenly jerked Weiss out of her thoughts. Searching for the source of the noise, she found Yang standing close to Ruby's side.

'Do you hear that?' Yang mouthed towards Ruby and Weiss before pointing to Blake. Momentarily confused, it took a couple of seconds for Weiss to realize that Blake was humming a song to herself while preparing a pan by the stove. The tune wasn't at all recognizable -

"That's one of the Achievemen's greatest hits!" Yang called out gleefully, running over and pulling Blake into a hug before nuzzling affectionately into her hair. "And _Blake's_ singing it!"

"I wasn't singing it," Blake denied, earning a disbelieving look from Yang. "...I was humming it."

"Admit it - you had fun!"

"They have a certain...theatrical...skillset that was amusing to watch..."

The answer made Yang laughed joyfully, finally releasing her grasp and allowing Blake to slink away with an air of chagrin for being caught doing something she hadn't been aware of.

"Sounds like you two had fun," Weiss commented in an attempt to spare Blake from further embarrassment. "Were you able to have them sign something for you?"

"Yup!" Yang replied proudly - so proudly that Weiss' small smile immediately fell.

"It wasn't your bra, was it?"

"Nope!" Yang answered with an even bigger grin. "Blake wouldn't let me, but they signed something even _better_!"

"Like what?" Ruby asked, setting her bowl by the stove and heading to the sink to wash her hands.

Reaching out, Yang grabbed ahold of Blake's arm before pulling her forward and pushing up the sleeve on her shirt.

"I had them sign Blake!" Yang proclaimed, dissolving into giggles as Weiss and Ruby stared at the scrawled signatures on Blake's upper forearm. While they did so, Blake very consciously avoided eye contact with either of them, her cheeks rampantly flushing.

"You let them sign you?" Weiss asked in disbelief, tearing her eyes away from the proof to find Blake staring pointedly towards the wall. Instead of answering, Blake rolled her sleeve down and turned to Yang.

"You realize it's going to wash off."

"Yup! But I'll always have the memory of the Achievemen signing my girlfriend," Yang responded with a dreamy expression.

"I wouldn't count on that!" Ruby quipped with a grin.

Weiss let out a startled laugh at the joke, with Blake and Yang soon joining in while Ruby beamed with success.

It was refreshing how Ruby could make fun of what had happened. To Weiss, it was this monumental moment that had changed the course of her life. It wasn't spoken about, ever. But to Ruby...it was also a monumental moment that had changed her life, but she'd gotten past that. Now it was merely something that had happened - something they could laugh about and move on from.

"You're right, Ruby," Yang commented before pointing to Blake's arm. "I'm gonna need a picture of that…"

"Good luck," Blake replied with a smirk while lighting the stove and setting a pan on top of the flames.

"I'm going to have to beg, aren't I?" Yang asked before letting out an exaggerated sigh and leaning on the counter beside Blake. "You know how much I'll _totally_ beg for that."

Making a soft "shhh" sound, Blake placed one finger against Yang's lips to keep her from saying anything more. Shaking her head and letting out a chuckle at the antics, Weiss returned her attention to Ruby - who was watching her sister in amusement before opening her mouth to speak.

"Maybe after dinner, we could like...watch a movie?" When Ruby turned to Weiss, her eyes were shining with hope. "You'll stay for a movie, right?"

"I...yes, I can," Weiss replied, surprised by the continued requests for her presence and Ruby's whoops of happiness.

"Perfect!" Yang remarked. "Because it's my turn to pick. I hope you're all ready for some blood 'n guts!"

"Yanggg!" Ruby whined. "Why do you always pick those movies?"

"Simple! Because they scare Blake."

Blake scoffed at the grin thrown her way. "They do _not_ scare me."

"Then why do you cuddle into me so much during them?"

"Because! I...happen to like doing that. Shouldn't Weiss get to choose anyway? She's our guest tonight," Blake pointed out.

When both girls turned to Weiss, the twinkle in Yang's eye said she already knew what Weiss would decide. Of course she already knew - they'd come to an agreement on this matter while still at Beacon.

"No, no," Weiss answered with a shake of her head. "I don't want you to go out of order for my sake. I'm fine with whatever Yang chooses."

"Blood n' guts!" Yang said, patting Blake consolingly on the back. "Next time Weiss picks!"

'Next time'...the words were like a warm ray of sunshine that made Weiss smile.

"We should really find a new place for our mail..." Yang commented absentmindedly, picking up the stack of envelopes from in front of Weiss and tossing it haphazardly onto the sofa. While Yang did that, Ruby leaned closer to Weiss.

"If you get scared, you can always hold my hand," she offered, making Weiss' heart do a little flip in anticipation. Overhearing, Yang grinned.

"Oh don't worry - it'll be plenty scary," she remarked, sending a wink Weiss' way.

Years ago, they'd made a pact - Yang would pick scary movies when it was her turn and Weiss wouldn't complain. It was a silent concession to Yang's goal of having Blake lean into her side - and self-serving in that it gave Weiss the same excuse to be near Ruby. Through years and years of horror movies, their partners had been none the wiser...unless they secretly enjoyed it too…

"Yang, can you bring me a plate?"

"Of course!" With one more grin at Weiss, Yang went over to the cabinets to find a plate as Blake requested.

Watching the two finish making dinner together, Weiss felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards the both of them. There was still so much that needed to be made right - so much guilt that Weiss still carried with her - but knowing that forgiveness was possible gave her hope unlike anything she'd felt in a long time.

Could it be that all this time she'd needed to expose her wounds, not hide them away? It was extremely difficult for her to be vulnerable, but by opening up to Yang - by finally being honest and sincere - Weiss had found something she hadn't realized she was searching for.

It wasn't pity - Yang's eyes didn't hold pity for her. It was understanding. They'd all been there - they'd all been through trials and tribulations. They'd all reached a point in their lives where they were forced to question if this day, this moment, would be their last. Somewhere along the way, Weiss had forgotten that they understood each other. They always had.

"Here you go, Weiss!"

Turning, Weiss accepted the set of silverware Ruby held out to her.

"Thank you," she replied while setting the items on the table. Grinning, Ruby happily buzzed around and dropped the other sets in their proper places before Yang handed over a stack of plates that also needed to be set out. When Yang caught Weiss' eye, she smiled before walking back to help Blake.

Leaning back in her seat, Weiss smiled with ease she hadn't felt in a long time.

It was difficult and scary - terrifying, even - to expose weaknesses to others, but she'd forgotten how rewarding it was when her barriers were lowered for the right people. Because she didn't have to feel alone. Even though her horrible mistakes were entirely her own, they were relatable. They were understandable.

She wasn't isolated - she wasn't out on an island by herself. She had help. She had support. That's what teammates were for.


	26. Chapter 26

"Do you need anything from the garage?"

Without waiting for a response, Ruby blasted out of the kitchen and flew through the open garage door. Grabbing an empty glass from on top of the workbench, she then zoomed back into the kitchen and looked at Yang for an answer. Her sister, however, was busy watching the trail of rose petals drifting slowly to the floor.

"It was kinda nice not cleaning those up for a few days…" Yang mused with a shake of her head.

"It was starting to smell a little weird in here though," Blake added, brushing a petal off of Yang's shoulder.

"But it's so great!" Ruby chimed in. Her semblance laid petals in every direction as she ran several rapid laps around the kitchen table. A layer of red covered almost every inch of the house right now, but she didn't care if she had to spend hours cleaning later.

"No more going slow!" she shouted while racing in a tight circle. "No more wasting time walking like a slowpoke!"

Today was _awesome_! She'd been looking forward to it for like forever! It had been circled on her calendar - the calendar in her head since she didn't own a real calendar. But the day had been circled, because it was the day she was released from her speed restrictions. She got to use her semblance - she got to run and jump and cartwheel whenever she wanted!

It was a monumentous day!

Skidding to a stop by her sister's side, she giggled when a wave of petals flew past her and knocked into Yang.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Not _really_ annoyed with the petals, Yang brushed another one off of her shoulder and failed to hide a smile.

"That makes it sound like I _wasn't_ feeling fine!" Ruby quipped before shooting around her sister and Blake as fast as she could, creating a whirlwind of petals that kept swirling even after she screeched to a halt. "I felt fine all along! Besides that one little bit where I passed out. But other than that I've been completely fine!"

It was about a million years ago that she'd gone to the hospital for her itty-bitty near head explosion incident. The time had doubled because she'd been practically forced into a coma by the mandatory walking ever since then. Seriously, why didn't more people run everywhere? They'd save so much time!

But Ruby followed the doctor's recommendation and took it easy (because Yang made her). She also took all of the pills and added the empty bottle to her tower. A small bout of clumsiness _might_ have resulted in her accidentally knocking over all the bottles, but she rebuilt it - this time more structurally sound, in case she tripped over her feet again.

"Do you need anything from the living room?" she asked before zipping away and returning within a second with one of Yang's magazines. "How 'bout a magazine?" Pressing it into Yang's hands, Ruby instantly disappeared and grabbed another.

"Oh, sorry! Was that the wrong one?" she joked before flashing away to grab another - and another, and another.

As the stack of magazines in Yang's arms grew, she started to laugh - her sparkling purple eyes only encouraging Ruby to dash back and forth some more. Seeing Ruby happy made Yang happy - and seeing Yang happy made Ruby happy! It was a big ol' circle of happiness that never stopped.

"Are _any_ of these what you wanted?" Ruby finally asked while setting the fifteenth or so magazine on top of the pile. Shifting the stack and holding it in the crook of one arm, Yang picked up the top one and looked at it with a frown.

"Hmmm...nope!"

As soon as she said the word, Yang tossed the magazine towards the living room. Squealing in surprise, Ruby dashed after it and managed to snag it out of the air before it hit the TV.

"This one's wrong, too -" Yang said, throwing the second magazine over her shoulder towards the kitchen sink. "And this one. And this one."

Using short bursts of speed, Ruby zipped to each corner of the room while frantically grabbing the flying magazines before they hit the ground.

"Yup, all wrong," Yang finally said, grinning as she tossed the rest of the stack towards the sofa.

"Yang!" Ruby yelped in surprise before leaping after the quickly dispersing cloud of paper. But she was fast - too fast! Flying through the air, she snatched each one out of the air before nearly sticking the landing on the other side of the sofa. Nearly.

Instead, her foot came down on another magazine half-hidden underneath the sofa, and her balance instantly disappeared. As she fell to the ground, her arms raised up - scattering all of the dutifully-collected magazines to the wind.

Landing on her bum, but instantly shooting to her feet as if nothing had happened, Ruby consciously avoided looking at the huge mess she'd just made and jogged back to the kitchen instead.

"See? Fit as a fiddle!" she proclaimed, ignoring Yang and Blake's laughter at the spectacle she'd just created. There was even more to clean up now, but that was fine - she had more than enough energy to do that and more. Being cooped up for a couple days hadn't helped with her hyperactivity. Her energy level was through the roof now! Through the roof and to the moon!

"Blake, can you please take her out for a walk or something?" Yang teased.

"Me? She's your sister."

"Oh! Can we race through the woods?" Ruby asked.

That was a brilliant idea! They could race! That would help her get out some energy. They could run miles and miles and _miles_ through the woods - dodging trees and branches and bees until they were too tired to stand any more. _That_ would be fun!

As Ruby used her best 'pleaseeee' expression, Blake shot a glare at Yang before reluctantly nodding her head.

"Of course we can. Right after I kill your sister."

With a lighthearted laugh, Yang pulled Blake close for a kiss in between her ears.

"You two have fun!" Yang said, walking into the living room and collapsing on the sofa. "I have some very important TV shows to catch up on."

"Like more soap operas?"

"There's no singing and very little soap, so I don't know why you call them that," Yang replied to Blake before turning on the television and sending a wave above her head. "Have funnnn."

"Now? Can we go now?" Ruby immediately asked, bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Sure, let me just - " Blake began to say, but Ruby didn't hear the ending because she'd already squealed in happiness and shot back to her room to change. She should've worn her workout gear under her sweats again - why hadn't she been thinking? Always be prepared! Wasn't that her new life motto? It was something like that…she'd come up with a motto and written it down somewhere, but she'd have to find it later.

Throwing on the first outfit her hands touched, she actually beat Blake outside - _that's_ how fast she was going right now! Impatient to get started, she stood near the treeline and swung her arms back and forth in some sort of warm-up exercise. Should she stretch or something? Blake wasn't going to take _that_ long, was she?

Thankfully, it was only a few minutes later that the screen door opened and closed, and Blake trekked across the grass at a leisurely pace. She was sort of taking forever, but that was ok. They'd race soon!

"How many laps do you want to do?"

"Can we do four?"

The request made Blake's brow rise before she chuckled and shook her head.

"You were cooped up too long, weren't you?" she remarked, stepping past Ruby to the very edge of the woods - their unofficial starting line. "Try not to run into any trees this time. Yang will be upset if you knock yourself out on a tree trunk the first day you're allowed to use your semblance again."

Joining Blake at the treeline, Ruby giggled at the memory. That tree had _definitely_ popped out of nowhere.

"I'll do my best!" she replied with a mock salute before focusing on the trees in front of her.

The agreement was that they'd run through the woods to the neighborhoods on the far side and then back. Since Ruby got to use her semblance, it wasn't fair to expect Blake to complete as many laps, but they'd discovered it was a pretty close race if Ruby ran twice as many. So four laps - Ruby had to run there and back four times while Blake only had to do it twice.

That didn't mean Ruby was only twice as fast as Blake - she was _way_ faster than that! But there was the _small_ added difficulty of picking the right path and dodging tree branches and bushes and stuff. Blake was really good at that. Ruby...not so much. Somehow she always managed to trip over something, but not this time! This would be a perfect run with none of her usual clumsiness.

Had her motto been 'Don't lie to yourself?' That kind of sounded right...

"Ok, ready…" Blake said, bending her legs in a slight crouch.

Picking a general path through the trees as far as she could see, Ruby leaned down and put one hand on the ground like a sprinter. She didn't _have_ to, but she thought it made her look cooler! Everyone loves a track star, right?

"Set…"

Focusing on her breathing, Ruby tried to steady her heart rate in preparation of bursting forward as soon as the next word left Blake's mouth. Her muscles tensed - coiling like springs on the edge of release.

"G -!"

The full word hadn't even left Blake's lips before Ruby shot forward like a cannonball. Hopefully, Blake actually said 'go' this time. Sometimes she'd say 'gorilla' or 'gopher' just to trick Ruby into a false start. Of course, she wouldn't know until she'd run the entire first lap and found Blake still standing at the house. Until then, the race was on!

Blazing onward, trees flew past her - no, she flew past trees - and she swerved this way and that while ducking branches and hurdling bushes. When she moved this fast, it hardly felt like her feet hit the ground. Maybe they didn't - but if she tried to think about what her feet were doing, they'd definitely tangle themselves together and make her fall.

Using her semblance was a weird balance of thinking about it, but not too hard. Most of it was instinctual - somehow her body reacted without her mind really knowing what decision had been made. Right, left, jump, duck - all determined faster than her brain could process. That was a little alarming to think about, but hey - she'd survived this long! Although there was that one time...

Seeing the trees thin out in front of her, she hit the brakes early. Twigs and leaves swept forward in front of her while her feet skidded to a stop - creating a long trail of tracks running perfectly to the opposing tree line. Nice! This time no one would be upset about her messing up their perfect grass!

No sooner had her body come to a complete stop did she do an abrupt turn and fly in the opposite direction. More trees, more branches and stuff - it felt so good to run! Not just to run, but to _fly_.

Passing Blake at a little over the halfway point, Ruby spurred herself even faster. If she wanted to win, she needed to make up some ground. What Blake lacked in speed, she made up for in super efficiency. Her route through the trees would be within inches of perfect - no ounce of energy or precious time wasted by jumping too high, too soon, or giving that massive tree trunk too wide a berth.

Meanwhile, Ruby just kind of...winged it. Faster, faster, faster. Trust her brain to think, without thinking. Trust her feet to do the running -

Suddenly tripping over something (hopefully not her own foot again), she flew through the air like a flying squirrel before landing on her forearms and correcting into a tumble. Rolling seamlessly back to her feet, she skidded to stop at the edge of their lawn before turning around and racing back the other way.

Ok, that had been unexpected, but awesome! She'd hardly lost any time at all! Better than the last few times, when she got a face full of leaves and dirt.

Pleased with her rather skillful tumble, her feet led her through the trees while her mind hardly thought about it. This time she passed Blake a little closer to halfway - Ruby was making up ground!

Only two and a half laps to go, and she wasn't even tired! It felt like she was just getting started! If there weren't all these pesky trees in the way, she'd push her semblance even harder, but running into a tree at this speed was not all it was cracked up to be. But it _did_ make a really loud cracking sound.

The next couple legs of the race went smooth as cucumbers. Ruby stopped on point, leaving long skid marks in her dust. She didn't fall, which was always a bonus. And when she pulled out of the last turn, Blake was nowhere to be seen - but Ruby had to believe her competitor was at least half the forest ahead.

Time to turn on the afterburners!

Would it be lame to make 'vroom' noises for herself? Ah who cared.

 _Vrooooom. Vrooooooom._

The trees whizzed past - er, she whizzed past the trees - flying back to base for a perfect landing. Something tugged at her arm, but she passed it so fast, she didn't even know what it had been. Up ahead, she could barely make out Blake doing her aerial acrobats - well, hopefully it was Blake and not some crazy shadow person.

The gap between them closed quickly, but Blake was nearly out of the woods. It was going to be close! Ruby just needed a little more oomph. Just a little...more…

With Blake mere feet from the finish line, Ruby blasted forward with as much of her unused semblance as she could find. It was ill-advised, definitely! Especially when she didn't lift her feet up high enough and something reached out and grabbed her ankle. At normal speeds, it wouldn't do much of anything, but at the speed Ruby was going - it sent her flying forward.

Flying forward _fast_ though! Closing the gap and stretching her arms out in front of her, both she and Blake crossed into the backyard at nearly the exact time.

Of course, Blake only needed to slow to a stop - while Ruby flew past and landed on the ground with a loud _oomph_ as the air left her lungs in a single blow. This time her tumble only flipped her onto her back and slid her several feet across the grass before she finally stopped somewhere in the middle of the yard, staring up at the sky.

Definitely not classy, but hey, whatever worked!

Groaning as she pushed herself to her feet, Ruby dusted off her clothes and noted several new grass stains while Blake walked over.

"You ok?" Blake asked, resting both hands on her hips while taking measured breaths to slow her heart rate back to normal as quickly as possible. After checking her limbs for functionality and finding all systems go, Ruby nodded - and Blake nodded once. "Good. How do you feel?"

"I feel great!" Ruby replied, her heart already slowing to a more normal pace. "Feels good to run again!"

"Looked like it. You were blazing."

"I can go faster! But the trees - I only fell twice though!"

Nodding again, Blake lifted her arms from her hips and rested them atop her head. "Are you any less hyper now?"

"Uhh…" Briefly pausing, Ruby did a mental stock of her energy level. Was she less energetic? "Maybe?"

"As long as you're not bouncing off the walls, I guess…or else I'm calling Weiss over to entertain you."

The mention of Weiss' name immediately lit a smile on Ruby's face.

"That'd be great! I'd love for Weiss to come over!" Bubbly energy instantly returned to Ruby's chest as Blake chuckled.

"If she _did_ come over, would you be able to sit still for longer than a few minutes?"

"Yeah! I did last night, didn't I?"

Thinking about the question, Blake smiled and nodded. "You managed to sit through an entire movie without getting up…so I'm guessing you had fun?"

"It was tons of fun!" Ruby replied with a grin, which seemed to make Blake even more pleased.

It was the truth though! And Ruby _had_ managed to sit through an entire movie without getting up to do something else. That was hard to do because movies were _so_ long! She normally got bored halfway through and decided she'd rather do something else, unless it was a movie about weapons or Grimm or - even better - weapons _and_ Grimm.

Last night's movie was about neither, so Ruby stopped paying attention only a few minutes in - but she never got bored. It was impossible to be bored with Weiss sitting right there! Even if the _movie_ was boring, _Weiss_ was not. Just watching her breathe was interesting! Not that Ruby had been watching Weiss breathe in a creepy way or anything. Only in a normal, curious way.

And Ruby hadn't noticed before, but Weiss smelled _really_ good - a subtle flowery yet clean scent. Whatever it was, it was amazing - amazing enough that Ruby had leaned a smidge closer to get a better smell.

Weiss smelled good, adorably flinched whenever a bad guy crashed into a scene, and absentmindedly spun the ring around her finger whenever she was anxious about what was going to happen next. For the longest time, Ruby had been overjoyed just watching Weiss fiddle with the ring - the ring that Ruby made from scratch! Honestly, Ruby never thought that Weiss would wear it, so it was awesome that she not only wore it but used it as a method to ease worry.

"Do you think we can invite Weiss over for more movie nights?" Ruby asked, giving Blake a hopeful glance.

A new word needed to be invented for how _amazingggg_ it had been when Weiss had suddenly reached over and grabbed Ruby's hand. Ruby couldn't even remember what was happening in the movie at the time - someone had been about to die, most likely - but holding Weiss' soft, delicate hand was like heaven. Every time it happened, Ruby loved it more and more.

Yang's scary movies didn't seem like such a bad idea anymore!

"I don't see why not," Blake replied with a shrug.

"Well, because...you know, Yang isn't always happy with Weiss?" Ruby asked, but her concern faded away when Blake gave her a reassuring smile.

"I think they're fine now."

"Really?"

"Yes. So feel free to invite her over - maybe you'll get some more dates out of it," Blake teased, making Ruby's cheeks immediately flush.

"It's not a date…"

"But she asked you out to dinner."

"Yeah, but she asked you and Yang too!"

"But who did she ask _first?_ "

Pursing her lips, Ruby didn't answer. Mostly because answering would only prove Blake's point. Was it a date? Weiss asked if she could take Ruby out to dinner tonight. It was only Ruby's question that made Weiss open up the invitation to anyone else, and then Yang declined.

It was going to be just the two of them. Going out to dinner. But it could only be a date if someone _called_ it a date, right? Otherwise, it was just two friends hanging out and eating food.

Why was this stuff so confusing? Why couldn't it be like putting together a weapon? There were entire manuals written about that. Most of them were broken down in very detailed and clearly labeled steps too!

If there was no instruction manual, Ruby had to go to one of her other sources of advice...

"Even though it's _not_ a date…" she said slowly. "What should I wear?"

One of the nice things about asking Blake for advice was that she took questions seriously from the get-go. Yang's initial response was almost always a joke - like 'a clown suit' or something silly like that. Blake actually took a few seconds to think of a good answer.

"What about those dark jeans you have and that nice, dark-red shirt in the back of your closet."

" _That_ one?" Ruby asked in surprise. "But that's like - so fancy!"

Shrugging again, Blake smiled.

"I think it'll look nice," was her simple reply.

Pondering the suggestion, Ruby glanced at the house. When she wasn't wearing her combat or training gear, she was in her pajamas or sweatpants...which meant she should probably take Blake's advice. Especially if she was going outside the house with Weiss. Weiss always looked so put together and pretty. If this was even _kind of_ a date, Ruby didn't want to look like a slob in comparison!

Did she _want_ it to be a date though? Kind of. Yeah, she did - but why? That was one of the most confusing parts. Almost more confusing than trying to figure out if it was a date or not!

They hadn't known each other for very long, but that didn't seem to matter. Every time they saw each other, it felt like they grew leaps and bounds closer.

Ruby loved when they spent time together, but anything beyond that...she was too inexperienced to have any idea what she was talking about! For all she knew, this was what it felt like to have a _best_ friend.

"Uh, Blake?" she asked hesitantly. "I, uh, have another question... "

"Sure - what is it?"

With Blake's attention now fully on her, Ruby bit her lip and tried to phrase this as best she could. She didn't want to raise too much suspicion, but her cheeks were already trying to blush and give her away. She could ask Blake though - Blake gave the best advice.

"How did you know that you... _like_ liked Yang?"

For several seconds, Blake's ears spun this way and that while she thought about the question before finally smiling as if the answer was a pleasant one.

"Well...the first thought I had when I saw your sister was that she was gorgeous -" Blake began.

"Of course!" Ruby remarked with a chuckle and shake of her head. That was the opinion shared by everyone who'd ever met Yang. That's why she was always so popular!

"And my second thought was 'oh no, she's a flirt,'" Blake continued with a smile. "But when we became partners, I got to see that there was so much more to her than that. I saw how kind she is. How caring. How protective she is of the people most important to her. How she looked after you."

Blake nodded towards Ruby before glancing towards the house, where Yang was currently watching her drama-filled TV shows.

"At first, I considered myself lucky to have a partner who was so easy to get along with, but then I started _looking_ for reasons to spend time with her. We would study together for hours when I already knew the material perfectly. I'd ask her for extra help training on moves I'd already mastered. I'd conveniently 'forget' my books in class because I knew she'd walk back with me to get them."

"Really?" Ruby asked in surprise. The idea of Blake creating ways to spend time with Yang was funny because now the two were surgically attached at the hip.

"Oh, yes," Blake replied with a quick laugh. "It got pretty bad. I started daydreaming about her. Then, when I wasn't doing that, I was dreaming about her. When she'd accidentally bump into me, I got goosebumps. When I made her laugh, my heart did this embarrassing jump in my chest."

Smiling fondly at the memories, Blake shook her head.

"It took me longer than it should have, but eventually I realized all of those little things meant I had a huge crush. So I could join the rest of the boys at school - hopelessly head-over-heels for Yang Xiao Long, the blonde beauty of Beacon Academy."

"But she liked you back!" Ruby pointed out, making Blake smile again.

"Yes, she did. Fortunately."

They stood there for a few seconds in a content silence while Ruby thought about what Blake had just said. Wanting to spend time together...daydreaming...heart doing weird things…

Check, check, and check.

Ok, so that meant that what Ruby was feeling was almost the same as how Blake had felt about Yang. So that meant this was also a crush. That meant...Ruby liked Weiss. _Liked_ her.

Oh wow. Ok, Ruby needed to not freak out in front of Blake. She could totally play it cool - Blake would never know what Ruby had just realized. She could be un-suspicious!

"But how did you go from 'just friends' to more than that?" she blurted out before she could help herself. As expected, the question raised both Blake's brow and suspicions in a heartbeat.

"You mean, how did she ask me out?"

"Yeah! I mean, I guess. She asked you?"

Fortunately, this looked like another question Blake wanted to answer - which fortunately meant she gave Ruby a pass on the highly fishy line of questioning.

"Yes, she did. She never told you that story?"

More like Ruby never thought to ask, but she shook her head anyway. In her mind, Blake and Yang had basically always been together. One day, no Blake - the next, Blake was already living with Yang. The two of them being together was a fact of life, so Ruby had thought about how they'd come to be.

"Well...it was the end of the weekend, and Yang interrupted my reading to ask for help finishing a project due the next day. We'd had _months_ to work on it, so I kind of let her have it for procrastinating and waiting until the very last minute. She apologized but asked if I would help her this once. Of course I agreed, but I wasn't happy about being dragged out of bed for the day."

"This doesn't sound like a good start…" Ruby mused, making Blake laugh far more joyfully than the story suggested.

"It wasn't. We had to go into the forest to collect leaf samples from different species of trees and brushes. It wasn't in a dangerous section of woods, but we still had to get permission before leaving school grounds and…" Blake shook her head but still smiled at the memory. "By the time we were walking into the forest, I was in a bad mood. While we're picking up random leaves, I'm thinking to myself, 'Why did this have to wait until the last minute?' 'How come you didn't mention anything sooner?' Yang was quiet the whole time - I thought because she knew I was annoyed, but it turns out she was nervous…"

Again Blake's eyes slipped towards the house while Ruby waited intently for the story to continue - eager to learn how one of the most perfect couples she knew had come to be.

"Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and said, 'Hey, come with me.' She pulled me through some random trees - I remember worrying that she was going to get us lost in the woods - but it wasn't long until we came to this clearing. The moment I saw through the break in the trees, I swear my heart stopped beating."

"Why? What was in the clearing?" Ruby asked, drawn into the story and dying to know the ending.

"It was covered in rose petals," Blake answered lovingly, smiling at Ruby. "An ankle-deep layer of petals covering the _entire_ clearing. She must've had you running around for days to get that many...but it was unbelievable. Like something out of a love story. When the wind passed through the trees, it would blow the petals into the air and swirl them around so it almost looked like it was raining roses. At that moment...I probably couldn't even tell you why I'd been irritated only a minute earlier."

Ruby helped Yang put this together...but now she couldn't even remember her role. It was a strange feeling, but she easily wrote it off for more important questions. Like how long _would_ it take to make that many petals? Most likely not that long. If it was a round clearing, she could run around in circles for a few hours. That was a small price to pay for Yang's happiness!

"Yang led me into the clearing, wading us both through the petals," Blake continued, her eyes glazing over as if she could see the clearing right now. "It smelled heavenly and looked like a fairytale…more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen before. When we reached the center, she stopped and took both of my hands and gave me this shy grin - one of the ones we hardly ever see. 'Do you like it?' I don't even know why she asked - of course I loved it, but why? Why go through all of the effort for me?"

Taking a deep breath, Blake continued with a smile refusing to leave her lips.

"She was nervous. Have you ever seen your sister nervous? Well, I hadn't until right then. She rubbed her hands together and kind of sighed, kind of laughed. Then she finally said - and I remember this part perfectly - 'You know, there are a lot of things I've been searching for my whole life - adventure, my mom, a purpose - and someone to share my heart with.'"

Pausing, Blake touched one palm to her chest where her heart was. She was very clearly moved by this memory...so much so that she was displaying her emotions more openly than Ruby had ever seen before.

"'And I finally found one of those things,'" Blake repeated softly, her eyes still gazing off into some distant place from years ago. "'I'm just hoping you feel the same way.'"

Ruby waited in the silence that followed - a few more seconds than she was comfortable with - but she forced herself to wait that long before asking, "And you did?"

Her question broke Blake out of the spell. Dropping her hand, she smiled modestly at Ruby.

"Yes, I did. I do. And I said so right away. I don't think I've ever seen Yang so relieved or happy. And to be the cause of that happiness...that's all I've wanted to be ever since."

Smiling to herself, Ruby watched as Blake glanced fondly towards the back of the house one more time. It was easy to see that the two of them made each other happy - and that made Ruby happy. She loved seeing everyone happy!

"So that's the story of how Yang asked me out," Blake concluded before chuckling. "Also the story of our first kiss. But why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. I realized I never asked!" Ruby fudged. The look Blake gave in return suggested that she hadn't quite fallen for the little lie, but thankfully she didn't pry. This time.

"Well, that's how it happened. It's amazing how long ago that was because when I'm around her I still…" Blushing, Blake stopped talking and looked off to one side.

"You still what?" Ruby asked curiously. She didn't mind hearing about her sister, especially not when Blake cared about her so much. It was great to know that Yang had found someone so special!

Even with a blush, Blake turned back to Ruby.

"I still get goosebumps when she accidentally brushes against me," Blake whispered. "And my heart still does that embarrassing jump when she smiles at me. I always thought those things would fade away with time, but they never have..."

After Blake's words trailed off, the two of them remained in a semi-content silence for a few moments before Blake finally spoke again.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go tell your sister how incredibly lucky I am," she said with a shy grin, receiving Ruby's nod before hurrying back into the house to find Yang.

After watching Blake disappear inside, Ruby turned back to the forest with her brow wrinkled together in thought.

If what Blake said was right - and Blake was almost always right - then Ruby had a crush on Weiss. Was it really so simple? That seemed like such a light word to describe how Ruby felt whenever Weiss was around. Shouldn't there be a different word…a _bigger_ word for these feelings? Why use a word that implied Ruby was being smashed down when that was the exact opposite of what was happening? She wasn't feeling crushed; she was feeling elated - rejuvenated - larger than life.

Crush would have to do for now. And, if that was true, then the next logical step was...a grand romantic gesture?

That was totally Yang's style - big and flashy. What could Ruby fill with rose petals? No, she couldn't do the same thing. Dammit, Yang! Stole Ruby's semblance for her own good. And fire wasn't romantic in _any_ way. Look at this giant bonfire! It used to be a house, but now it's the symbol of my feelings for you! Don't worry, I already called the fire department.

Ruby knew next to nothing about romance, but she knew that _that_ wouldn't be romantic.

Ok, it didn't need to be some elaborate plan like what Yang had done, but Ruby needed to be able to put it into words. Words _to_ Weiss.

The mere thought made Ruby's cheeks flush. Someone to share her heart with - that seemed like a really big step. But was it? When her heart was already thinking of one person all the time, maybe it wasn't that big a deal.

That was a lie. It's a _huge_ deal! If it was enough to make _Yang_ nervous, Ruby probably wasn't even physically capable of doing the same thing. But she wanted to find a way to...like...grow closer to Weiss. Again, an instruction manual would sure be nice right about now! A step-by-step guide to asking someone out. Step one - find someone to ask. Step two - ask?

Oh! If Ruby could find out more about how _Weiss_ felt, maybe it would take some of the nerves away! Maybe step 1.5 was figuring out who the person you like likes. Ruby could ask at dinner tonight. 'Hey Weiss, do you happen to like anyone?' Yeah, that would work. That would totally work!

Satisfied with her pseudo-plan and expanding checklist, she raced into the house. She wasn't going to walk anywhere for a long time - walking sucked!

The door to Yang and Blake's room was closed, and they must be in there because Ruby had the entire living room to herself for once - meaning she could watch whatever she wanted on TV! More Vale's Top Weaponsmith! Yang refused to let Ruby watch that whenever she was around. Something about how it was like watching paint dry…

Yang couldn't be more wrong. It was watching weapons _gradually_ fuse together. Completely different.

Not that Ruby planned to watch the show fully - she planned on somewhat freaking out about having a crush instead. Was this what crushes felt like? All heart-fluttery and soul-lifting? Ruby had never experienced this before, but it was...pretty awesome. And nerve-wracking. But also awesome.

Grabbing the remote, she almost flopped down on the sofa when she noticed a jumbled stack of mail on her seat. Apparently, this had become the new mail station without anyone bothering to tell her. But if the mail went here, where was she supposed to sit?

Tossing the remote onto the sofa, she gathered up the envelopes and flipped through the stack. Garbage, garbage, junk, junk, junk, magazines galore for Yang, oh! There was something addressed to Ruby!

"I never get mail!" she exclaimed to herself, tossing everything else back onto the sofa before tearing the envelope open. Her ears picked up a door opening and Yang and Blake talking quietly amongst themselves in the hallway, but she ignored them and pulled out the card to read it.

 _Dear Miss Rose,_

 _As you may well be aware, this weekend Beacon Academy will host our annual alumni festival - The Beacon Invitational. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we're in need of one more team - of at least three registered huntsmen - to complete our tournament field. With your proximity and status as a Beacon graduate, we sincerely hope you'll be willing to reconsider participation in this event. If you are available to attend, please respond as soon as possible._

 _Respectfully,_

 _Professor Goodwitch_

Following the letter were details on the date and time of the tournament, and information on how to respond.

As Ruby read the invitation a second time - because the first was clearly a joke - her jaw dropped open. She'd watched the Beacon Invite ever since she was a kid! And they wanted _her_ to fight in it? Yang and Blake too, but Ruby? They invited her personally! This was the Beacon Invite! Only one of the coolest tournaments in existence on Remnant!

"What's up?" Yang asked while walking into the kitchen with Blake, the two of them hand-in-hand.

"I got an invitation to Beacon!" Ruby exclaimed, holding the paper up in the air and waving it around.

"What?"

"Yeah! Here, read it!" Dashing over, Ruby pressed the page into her sister's hands. Watching intently while Yang read with Blake reading over her shoulder, Ruby waited for a few seconds before finally asking, "Can we go?"

" _You_ want to fight in the Invite?" Yang asked, tearing her eyes from the invitation. "You realize that some of the best huntsmen in Vale will be competing. The enemies are no joke either - the biggest and baddest Grimm and Atlesians you'll ever see. They're worse than normal because they're controlled by this crazy weapon tech. They make mincemeat of team after team every year."

Yang was probably trying to convince Ruby not to go, but she wanted to go _even more_ now!

"That sounds so awesome!" she cried out, her fists punching the air in excitement before she folded them in front of her to beg. "Please, please, _please_ can we go?"

Yang exchanged a surprised look with Blake before slowly shaking her head.

"I don't know, Ruby…going back to Beacon?"

"But they _need_ us to go!" Ruby replied, racing over and pointing out the word on the page. "See? They're 'in need of one more team!'"

"Yes, I see that…"

"It'll be fun! And we can compete! Don't you and Blake want to fight in the tournament?"

The question made Yang bite her bottom lip - an expression Ruby had learned meant a great deal of hesitation. But she wanted to go. She really, really wanted to go! It hadn't even been on her radar until like a few seconds ago, but now it was everything she wanted and more! All she had to do was convince Yang that it was no big deal.

"Ruby…" Yang began in her extra motherly voice. "There will be a lot of people there who recognize you, and you're not going to remember them."

"So?" Ruby asked defiantly, causing Yang to raise one eyebrow in surprise.

Would it really be so bad if a stranger walked up to Ruby and said 'hello'? It's not like that would send her into some crazy tailspin of memories. The memories were gone. There was nothing she could do about that but move on!

Which meant her sister needed to move on too.

"Enough with the kid gloves, Yang," Ruby said. "It'll be fine - I already know who I am."

"Do you?"

"I mean, mostly! I know I can make friends and have a life. I have goals and I think I can reach them." Pausing, Ruby looked Yang in the eyes. "I appreciate what you've done all this time. I know it was for the best since I was so...out of it...but you don't need to worry anymore. I know who I am. Now I want to know who I was. I can handle this."

It was time, wasn't it? It was a little scary, but it was time. She couldn't ignore her past forever. And she could definitely handle it!

"It won't phase me - if anything, it'll be like a weird history lesson! History of Ruby," she added with a grin. "And I want to go to Beacon! I've never been - that I remember!"

"You really want to go." The way Yang asked wasn't much of a question - more like a statement of disbelief - but Ruby answered with a firm nod.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It'll be fun!"

For basically an eternity, Yang stared back at Ruby, never breaking eye contact. For once, Yang didn't turn to Blake, which meant the decision was staying between the two of them. So Ruby made sure to look extra sincere - because she was. She wanted to go! And if this was a horrible mistake, well...she'd made worse mistakes.

Finally, after eternity was over, Yang nodded.

"Ok," she said with a small smile. "Then we'll go."

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping in celebration before freezing when a thought shot through her like a lightning bolt. "Do you think that maybe we could invite...the full team?"

No elaboration was needed for Yang to know what Ruby was asking. And this time Yang did turn to Blake for support while Ruby waited for an answer - trying not to seem too eager for a response. But Yang would tell her now...if there was something she needed to know.

Brow furrowed, Yang searched for words before finally sighing.

"I'll see what I can do."

A huge weight Ruby hadn't even known she'd been carrying lifted from her shoulders. Yang would've told her. Yang definitely would've told her if their fourth teammate was...no longer alive. But she hadn't. Meaning that whoever she was, she was still alive and out there somewhere. And maybe Ruby would finally get to meet her!

"This is so awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, hopping up and down in excitement. "Please, please invite her! Even if she can't make it - I mean, I kinda thought she was dead, so that's such a relief!"

"What?" Yang asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Why would you think she's dead?"

"Because you never talk about her!" Ruby replied, watching Yang exchange a shocked glance with Blake.

"I guess...we kinda didn't…"

"But this is so much better! Wow, I should've asked a long time ago," Ruby continued before more questions popped into her mind. "What's her name?"

She hadn't thought about her partner because she'd been afraid to learn the tragic truth. But the truth wasn't tragic!

"Well -"

"What's she like?" Ruby asked before Yang could answer. "Do you have a photo? Why has she been gone so long? Was she trying not to overload my brain too? Oh! Or has she been on some crazy undercover mission?"

"What? Ruby, we're not _spies_."

"You know what I mean!" Brushing off Yang's stunned expression, Ruby grinned. "But what's her name, Yang? For real! If I'm going to meet her, I at least need her name! And what's her weapon's name? And her semblance? And favorite Grimm!"

" _Woah_ there," Yang finally said, waving her arms to stop Ruby's questions. "Slow down, turbo. Let's see if she can even make it first."

"And if she does, I think she'll want to do her own introduction," Blake added seamlessly, earning Yang's nod of approval.

"She'll definitely want to do that herself."

Waiting wasn't as good as having the answers _now_ , but Ruby could wait. She'd already waited this long, hadn't she? Plus, the Invite was soon - this weekend! If anything, this just made her _even more_ excited.

"Ok," she agreed with one last nod before giving her sister a serious look. "But ask nicely - you promise to ask nicely?"

"Of course I will."

Squealing in happiness, Ruby could swear that someone just dumped an entire jar of spinning warbeetles down her collar from how jittery she was. Beacon! The Beacon Invite! Her partner! So much had just happened! All from one plain little envelope! She was definitely checking the mail more often because that had been _more_ than worth it.

"But shouldn't you be getting ready to go somewhere? I thought you had a hot date!" Yang teased, making Ruby yelp in surprise when she realized Weiss would be there any minute. Weiss was going to be here! This was the best day ever.

"It's not a date!" Ruby called out as she raced towards her room to change, but she glanced over her shoulder before turning the corner. Still standing in the kitchen, Yang put her hand on the back of a dining room chair - leaning over it and looking at Blake as if asking Blake to tell her what to do next.

Yang was the best sister anyone could ask for, but maybe it was time for a bit of Ruby's past to come back. For the first time, she felt strong enough to learn about the years she lost. Maybe it would be confusing. Maybe it would make her sad or even upset. But maybe it would help her understand some things, learn, and grow even more.

When Blake moved towards the front door, Ruby started running again.

"Tell her I'll be five minutes!" she shouted into the kitchen before flying into her room and closing the door. In the sudden silence, she leaned against the solid wood and briefly closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding, and not from the short distance she'd just run.

They were going to Beacon. They were going to fight in the tournament. And maybe, just maybe, she was going to meet her partner.

So much was changing. And it was all good - no, it was great! It made her nervous as heck, but also more excited than she could remember being in her entire life. It hadn't been that long ago when she'd spent days wondering if she could ever be 'normal' again, but recent events had proved that - well, that there was no such thing as normal. But also that being injured wasn't the defining moment of her life - there was still so much more to come!

Like dinner. With Weiss. Ruby needed to figure out who Weiss liked! Because there was that whole crush thing too...which was more exciting than everything else combined.

Ruby's heartbeat had only moderately slowed down, but she pushed off the door and went to the closet for the outfit Blake had suggested. It was a complete accident that she sniffed and realized she really needed a shower. She'd just run like twenty miles and fallen in the dirt a couple of times...Weiss would be ok hanging with Blake and Yang for a few minutes. Ruby would be fast!


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey guys! If you haven't already, you can follow me on Tumblr (same username). I also have a twitter that I use...kind of? I'm trying to use it more often though. Again, same username!**

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What a difference one day and one difficult conversation could make. Yesterday, when Weiss had shown up at this small home in this cozy little neighborhood, she'd fully expected to be berated - as she deserved. Instead...she might have gotten one of her closest friends back.

There was still a long road ahead to truly atone for what she'd done, but knowing that Yang was willing to forgive and put the past behind them was more reassuring than Weiss could've ever imagined. It lifted an incredible amount of stress from her shoulders. It made her feel like she could walk up the pathway to the front door without worrying about who might be inside.

She no longer wondered when Yang would erupt and throw her out of the house, but that didn't mean she felt any fewer nerves than usual. Knowing that Ruby was within shouting distance seemed to have this effect on Weiss - elevating her heart rate and blood pressure while making her palms undeniably clammy. Not exactly the most flattering of qualities, but hopefully Ruby would continue to be none the wiser to her ability to turn Weiss' normally steadfast composure on its head. Especially on a day like today, which felt a bit more monumental than reality might suggest.

They were going out to dinner tonight - just the two of them. Weiss still couldn't believe that Ruby had agreed so easily to the invitation. Of course, what reason would Ruby have to decline? It wasn't as if Weiss had called it a date or implied that it would be anything more intimate. It was simply a dinner. Between friends.

Exhaling slowly, wishing the exiting air would take some of her nerves with it, Weiss reached the front stoop and waited patiently. By now, she'd learned that there was no reason even to attempt knocking within the first few seconds of arriving. If Blake was home, the door would open within a few seconds -

The door unlatched at that very moment, and Blake stood behind it, casually motioning Weiss inside.

And into a flower-filled wonderland.

Her feet gingerly stepped forward while her eyes drank in every corner of the small rooms beyond, wondering how the vision before her could possibly be real. There were rose petals _everywhere_. Spots of red covered every surface - the sofa, the tables, the cabinets, the floors - no horizontal space had been spared a drop of red. And, in the case of the floor, there was a thin layer piled up that swished with her feet as she walked.

Visually, it was beyond magnificent...and the smell lingering in the air was more than heavenly. It tried to pull Weiss away from this reality and into another - one where Ruby was most likely hiding somewhere, waiting to surprise Weiss with a gift.

However, the atmosphere in this current reality was far more subdued than it should be from all the obvious cheer spread about. Standing by the kitchen table and looking rather pensive, Yang gripped the back of a chair like it was the only thing keeping her upright.

"Ruby's getting ready," Blake explained before moving to Yang's side, standing close enough that their hips were just barely touching. It was a gesture familiar in more ways than one, but the two girls always did this when one or both of them needed support.

"Alright…" Weiss replied slowly, taking hesitant steps further into the house. She didn't know what the cause for such a strained mood was, and wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know, but…

"What's going on?"

The question spurred Yang into motion.

"I'm guessing you got an invitation too," Yang replied, reaching over the chair and picking up a familiar envelope before flipping it carelessly back onto the table. Weiss' eyes flitted from Yang to the envelope then back again.

"Like a month ago. Why?"

Yang glanced at Blake, who nodded almost imperceptibly. They always did this too - some kind of nonverbal communication where gestures meant as much as words. It used to drive Weiss crazy...until she and Ruby had developed the same talent. Now it only made an ache of longing appear in her chest.

Having received whatever advice or encouragement she was searching for, Yang sighed and turned back to Weiss.

"JNPR had to drop out." Picking up the envelope once more, Yang ran one finger along its edge while her brow furrowed. "So Goodwitch sent Ruby another invitation."

"And?" Weiss asked, not sure what Yang was trying to get at.

"And you should come."

"...excuse me?"

Of all the things she thought Yang might say, that hadn't even breached her mind. The Beacon Invitational? Bringing back the graduated teams to compete against waves of simulated Atlesians and Grimm to prove who was 'best.' A _team_ reunion. As in, the team Ruby had no idea Weiss had been a part of.

That was a completely ludicrous idea. At least that was Weiss' thought, but Yang was nodding her head.

"You should be there. As a member of Team RWBY."

Turning from Yang to Blake and back again, Weiss waited for one of them to say that they were kidding - that this was some joke they were trying to pull in order to freak her out. Because it was working.

But when neither of them cracked so much as a miniscule smile, she decided to press them.

"You're kidding, right? How is that even _remotely_ a good idea?"

"Ruby wants to go. She's hoping our 4th teammate will be there," Yang explained carefully. "She wants to meet her - you."

"And when she finds out I've been lying to her this whole time?"

"You haven't been lying to her. You just haven't told her the whole story." For once, Yang spoke slowly, calmly, as if she didn't want to set Weiss off into another argument.

Maybe Yang didn't want to argue about this, but Weiss absolutely did.

"I _finally_ feel like we're close again," she replied in a forceful whisper, not wanting Ruby to overhear them. "I don't want to lose that for some stupid reunion. I don't want to hurt her."

" _I_ don't want her to be disappointed," Yang immediately countered. "But this wasn't our decision, Weiss - it's Ruby's. She's got it in her head that she wants to go, and you know there's no way we're talking her out of it. Plus, there's no reason she can't go - she's healthy and willing. So Blake and I are going with her, and you should be there too."

Mouth agape at what she was hearing, Weiss stared at the two girls standing in front of her. Back to Beacon? Back to the place where this all began? She hadn't been there in such a long time - there was always too much to do and then, when there had been time, there were too many memories in those halls for her to set foot near them.

"She'll understand, Weiss," Blake added quietly. "She understands what happened to her mind. She understands why, as strangers, we couldn't just tell her what her life was like. She won't hold it against you."

"And she trusts you," Yang said. "For some reason, she puts all her faith in you. Look how easy it was for you to waltz back in here and win her over. Even at Beacon, she adored you when you were insulting her. You weren't even nice to her for like the first month we were there!"

"I hope there's a point to this," Weiss mumbled with narrowed eyes, making Yang sigh like Weiss was missing some obvious explanation.

"She's _always_ seen something in you when no one else did. If you think that'll change just because you didn't tell her that you're her partner and...everything else...then maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do."

Pursing her lips, Weiss crossed her arms over her chest and tapped one foot on the floor. How badly she wished she could refute Yang's claim, but it was absolutely correct. It always felt like Ruby _saw_ Weiss - not the 'princess' exterior, not the accomplishments, not the money - but who she really was, and who she was capable of being. Somehow Ruby only saw the good parts in Weiss, something only Winter had been capable of up to that point in her life.

Winter was family though. Ruby could've easily written Weiss off like everyone else seemed to do, but she hadn't. In every look, every smile, and every word of encouragement, Ruby showed that she believed in something deeper than appearances and first, second, or third impressions.

Weiss _loved_ being the person Ruby looked at in that way, and she'd done everything in her power to become someone worthy of those glances. But she was scared. What if she didn't know Ruby as well as she thought she did? Or worse, what if Ruby no longer saw those good traits in Weiss? What if those had disappeared - fading over time as her strength had?

"The Invite is _this_ weekend," she finally said. "How will you ever be prepared in time?"

"We won't be. But that's always part of the fun, isn't it?" Yang replied with a slight grin. "And Ruby's good enough to fight those simulations - no problem."

Yang was crazy. Certifiably crazy. Taking Ruby back to Beacon? Letting her fight? After everything that had happened -

A breeze preemptively announced Ruby's presence before she shot into the kitchen and slid to a stop in front of Weiss. A wave of petals gently brushed into her - causing her to temporarily close her eyes and relish the smell of fresh roses. When she opened her eyes again, Ruby was beaming happily.

And Weiss' heart sped up - all thoughts of Beacon temporarily pushed from her mind.

Ruby was dressed up. _Nicely_ dressed up.

"Weiss! Sorry I'm late - I needed a shower _big_ time!" As if to prove this point, Ruby shook her head, throwing the slightly damp strands into disarray...which somehow looked even better with her outfit.

It was rare to catch Ruby in anything other than combat gear or pajamas - like finding an albino Grimm in the forest. But why had she dressed up? Did she do it because she thought this was...a date? Was it? Weiss _wanted_ it to be, but because she'd never actually said the word she thought it was vague enough for Ruby not to make that conclusion.

"Don't worry. I don't mind waiting," Weiss managed to reply with a smile that tugged larger when Ruby beamed back. It was an unshakable impulse to smile whenever Ruby looked even remotely happy - and if it was Weiss who somehow made Ruby smile...even better.

"You look...fantastic," Weiss added with a blush that only grew when Ruby looked moderately embarrassed in return.

"Yeah, wow, Ruby," Yang finally spoke up, suddenly looking much more normal with a smirk on her lips. "What're you expect-"

Yang's inevitable tease cut short when Blake abruptly caught her chin and turned her to the side for a kiss. Weiss used the few seconds of silence to steal another glance at Ruby - her cheeks flushing even more when she did so. Red was such a great color on Ruby...and that certainly hadn't changed with time.

Only after Blake released her did Yang cough lightly into her hand and turn back to them.

"Have a good dinner!" she chirped, sliding one arm around Blake's waist and pulling her close. "Ruby, you _totally_ don't need to rush home or anything. Like seriously, take your time."

Only after rolling her eyes at Yang did Weiss turn back to Ruby and gesture towards the door.

"Are you ready?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Ruby suddenly disappeared in a cloud of petals that flew out the front door and down the sidewalk. Confused by the rush, Weiss turned back to Blake and Yang - who both chuckled at her expression.

"Today's the first day she's been allowed to use her semblance since the hospital," Blake explained.

"Hope you didn't plan anything involving a lot of walking," Yang added with another laugh. Smiling and shaking her head, Weiss turned and walked out the front door to track Ruby down.

It was impossible to keep Ruby still for more than a few minutes at a time - that was one of the reasons why Weiss was so impressed by Ruby's ability to sit through the entire movie last night without getting up once. But a couple of days without the use of her semblance...of course she'd be running everywhere. She'd probably been bouncing off the walls all day, too.

"How are you feeling?" Weiss asked when she caught up to Ruby by the car.

"Better than new!"

"And hungry, I hope?" Weiss asked while motioning for Ruby to get into the passenger seat.

"Starving! Blake and I raced through the woods, so I worked up a good appetite!"

Taking heed of the words and sliding into the car herself, Weiss quickly set them off towards their destination. While leaving the neighborhoods behind, her mind tried to drag her back to the conversation at the house - of returning to Beacon as a member of Team RWBY - but, fortunately, she was able to push those thoughts aside and focus on Ruby.

The unexpected dilemma likely would have filled Weiss with paralyzing uncertainty only a short while ago, but with Ruby by her side she could choose to move on. Plus, from the way Ruby was drumming her fingers against her thigh, she was either extremely hyper or needed someone to listen to her thoughts. Potentially both, but Weiss was always more than willing to listen to Ruby's rambles.

"How has your day been?" The question was meant to get Ruby talking - an easy way to cause the dam to break.

"Great! I _finally_ got taken off speed restrictions. You probably noticed the petals -"

"Hard to miss those," Weiss replied, sending a grin to the seat beside her and receiving one in return.

"I'll clean them up later! But it's been awesome running again. Oh! Where're we going? I never even asked!"

"A little restaurant I read about," Weiss began, leaving out the part where she'd spoken to the executive chef earlier that morning and grilled him on his credentials. "Supposedly, they have the very best spaghetti in town."

"Is this place called 'Weiss' Kitchen'? Cuz your spaghetti is the best I've ever had!"

Flushing at the flattery, Weiss made sure to keep her eyes on the road and hoped Ruby couldn't tell how thrilled that compliment made her.

"Unfortunately not, but maybe next time we can go there…I'm pretty sure there's always a reservation available for you."

When Weiss snuck a glance to the side, Ruby's excited expression filled her with butterflies.

Was that another invitation Ruby would accept? There was nothing Weiss would like to do more than cook for Ruby again. That was a bit of a lie, of course. There were _many_ things she'd love the chance to do with Ruby again - making dinner was simply one of them.

To think that Weiss arrived at Beacon without the ability to make something as simple as toast. After discovering how much Ruby loved to eat, Weiss had spent much of her free time trying to perfect the art called 'cooking.' With only moderate success, she might add. Ruby never complained - not that she would have even if the food were inedible…

The next several minutes they drove in comfortable silence. The window seemed to have captured Ruby's full attention, and Weiss kept sneaking peeks at the girl - wondering what was going through Ruby's head. There was a suspicion pulling at the corner of her mind that Ruby was most likely preoccupied by a certain upcoming tournament at a prestigious fighting school, but each time the name flitted into existence, Weiss cast it aside.

When they sat down at dinner, they could talk about the upcoming tournament and Weiss could get a good feel for what Ruby thought about it. Until then, she would focus on what was rapidly beginning to feel like their first 'official' date.

Thank Grimm Ruby couldn't feel Weiss' palms right now. They were perspiring in the most unflattering way.

"Here we are…" Weiss muttered, pulling into the parking lot of a tiny restaurant with a line of people waiting outside the door. She'd heard that it was popular, but now the rather large sum she'd paid for the last minute reservation made more sense. Definitely worth the money to skip the wait for a table, especially if Ruby was hungry.

"Jeez! This place looks super popular!" Ruby remarked - her first words in quite some time. She then jumped out of the car almost before it came to a complete stop and sprinted around to open Weiss' door for her. "After you, mi'lady," Ruby said with a superfluous bow before extending her hand.

Ruby had always known how to make Weiss blush. It was the small gestures like this one...so simple and sweet and done without any pretense of mocking her social status. Ruby wanted to open Weiss' door because she thought it was a nice thing to do - plain and simple. If it _happened_ to light Weiss' cheeks aglow in the process...that was only an unintended bonus.

Subtly wiping her palm against the seat before taking Ruby's hand, Weiss allowed Ruby to help her out of the vehicle she surely could have exited on her own. The action drew curious eyes their way - as it normally did - but the only eyes Weiss saw were Ruby's - bright and silver and filled with humor at what had just transpired between them.

Once outside, Ruby was still holding Weiss' hand and seemed content in not letting it go - which was perfectly fine with her. Gripping a little tighter, she led both of them into the restaurant on cloud nine.

Holding Ruby's hand was incredible in a way that was difficult to describe. It hinted at a past that was greater than this present, all while being acceptable in their current landscape. As an added benefit, it prevented Ruby from sprinting everywhere.

This could so easily be one of the many dates they'd had in the past, Weiss kept reminding herself that it wasn't. This wasn't the past - this version of Ruby didn't remember that time a waiter accidentally dropped her birthday cake onto her lap. Or that time she'd made Weiss laugh so uncontrollably at a joke the restaurant host rushed over thinking medical attention was necessary.

Maybe Ruby didn't remember those times, but tonight new memories could be made. Their first time out together as...friends...or whatever they currently were.

"Schnee, for two," Weiss told the man standing inside the front door. He immediately nodded - likely having heard of how she'd bumped another couple off the reservation list in order to add herself.

It wasn't a big issue, really. She'd very nicely asked the restaurant to call another couple who _did_ have a reservation and then offered them a large sum of money if they would switch to the next day. They'd been more than happy to oblige, and everyone ended up satisfied with the situation.

"Right this way, Miss."

Following the man through a maze of intimately-lit booths and tables, a small amount of regret filled her when he set their menus down on opposite sides of a table and she realized that she would have to drop Ruby's hand. The moment she did so, her palm grew cold as she slid into one side of the booth and Ruby took the seat across from her.

"Your waiter will be right with you," the host murmured before disappearing back to the front of the restaurant. He'd barely left the table before Ruby's eyes scanned through the menu and flipped it shut on the table.

"Spaghetti - definitely spaghetti," she said with a determined nod. "I gotta see if it can hold a candle to yours!"

For as much planning as Weiss had done for this...for tonight...she hadn't even thought that this could become a competition between herself and the 'best' chef in Vale. All she'd thought was that Ruby really loved spaghetti, so they should get spaghetti. Clearly, she hadn't put _enough_ thought into this...

"Well, I'm no professional chef -"

"You're better!"

With a small smile frozen on her lips, Weiss stared across the table. It was so easy to believe that Ruby truly meant that…

Meeting Weiss' eyes only briefly before dropping her gaze to the table, Ruby focused rather intently on smoothing the wrinkles out of the linen tablecloth. There was obviously something on Ruby's mind, but instead of immediately prying into the matter Weiss watched and waited - trying to gather a better idea of how this new version of Ruby wanted to share her thoughts.

Running one finger in the pattern of a figure eight on the cloth, Ruby briefly glanced up, caught Weiss' eyes, then turned away again.

"You...uh, you look great tonight, too."

What felt like a thousand arrows hit Weiss directly in the heart, appearing out of nowhere and striking with deadly accuracy. It had never been a secret that Weiss loved clothes and made it a point to be well-dressed, but when _Ruby_ thought that she looked great...if she was currently wearing a trash bag, she would willingly wear it over and over again. Although _why_ she'd ever wear a trash bag to begin with, she had no idea.

Opening her mouth in an attempt to respond with something resembling words and not stammers of love-stricken gratitude, their waiter mercifully appeared to save her the embarrassment of a fumbled response.

"You lovely ladies have the look of someone ready to order food!" he quipped while rubbing his hands together. "Or maybe you'd like to start off with a few drinks? Appetizers? Corny jokes? I have those too!"

Moving her eyes from Ruby to their decently handsome and abundantly affable waiter, Weiss gave him a polite smile.

"I believe we'd both like to try your famous spaghetti," she answered, looking at Ruby for confirmation and receiving it with an excited nod.

"Excellent choice - anything else? I'll bring you some water, but we also have just about everything else under the sun - and moon, if ya know what I mean." He then winked at Ruby, who looked more startled by the action than anything else.

"That'll be all for now," Weiss interjected only after Ruby had slowly shaken her head 'no.'

"Shouldn't be too long then! He cranks out that spaghetti like it's his business!"

Stifling the urge to roll her eyes at the lame joke, Weiss caught Ruby staring at her while their waiter buzzed away from the table. As soon as their eyes met though, Ruby turned her gaze back to the tablecloth.

It had always been easy to tell when Ruby's mind was elsewhere. For one, she talked much, _much_ less. Her eyes shifted and slid from one point of interest to the next, never latching onto anything other than the ground for long. And her brow would permanently furrow with the most adorable expression of deep thought.

But one of the fascinating aspects of Ruby's personality was that she displayed her distraction for anyone to see. When she was still a child, Weiss learned how to pretend to pay attention, but Ruby had either never learned or never bothered to hide her emotions.

Something was clearly on her mind. Could it be a certain invitation to a certain school beginning with the letter 'B'? It had to be. What else could be occupying her mind so ardently?

"What's going on?" Weiss asked as if she was oblivious, unfolding her napkin and laying it across her lap while Ruby focused on her. "You're awfully quiet."

"Oh, sorry." Biting her lip, Ruby looked down at the table before back at Weiss - locking eyes with her and nearly taking her breath away.

Weiss was always taken aback by Ruby's eyes - pools of liquid metal that were the prettiest things Weiss had ever seen. The color was nearly the same shade as the ring hanging around Ruby's neck - almost, but not quite. Several jewelers had tried and tried again to match the color, but they'd never been able to replicate it perfectly.

'One of a kind,' Weiss had surmised, to which Ruby gleefully pointed at both of her eyes and said, 'Actually, two!'

"I, uh...I was just wondering…if you...like..." Ruby's voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat. Her current expression was confusing - why was she suddenly so nervous? Could this really be for the Invite?

"Do you...do you know what the Beacon Invitational is?"

Nodding, Weiss was still trying to figure out what was creating Ruby's nerves, but they were rapidly disappearing.

"I got a letter today," Ruby explained further. "They need another team to compete and...they asked me."

"Well you did go there, didn't you?" Weiss asked slowly. The sudden nerves had completely disappeared by now, replaced by a more thoughtful expression.

"Yeah, of course, but...we're gonna go."

"You're going to go? Isn't it this weekend?"

Even though Yang had already delivered this news, Weiss could still feel the shockwaves of that statement reverberating through her bones.

Ruby at Beacon. Weiss at Beacon. The likelihood of keeping this massive secret between them shrunk exponentially at that place. Old classmates, teachers...there would be an abundance of people who knew both of them on a personal level. Anyone could easily make a comment alluding to subjects Ruby knew nothing about. It would be one thing for Weiss to tell Ruby personally...but having a third party accidentally give Ruby that information might hurt her far more than necessary.

"Last minute, but yeah, we're gonna go," Ruby repeated, numbly nodding her head as if the knowledge hadn't quite sunk in yet.

The reaction was different from what Weiss had expected. Ordinarily, the Beacon Invite made Ruby overzealously happy. It was the opportunity to show off in front of a huge audience, after all. But this wasn't the same Ruby. This Ruby was more...subdued and thoughtful. Her eyes unfocused as she continued to mindlessly trace figures on the tablecloth in front of her.

"I never even thought of going back, ya know?" she said, her silver eyes snapping back to Weiss. "There were so many other things to focus on. Beacon was just this...far off place - like some castle from a dream you can't quite remember. When I read that invitation though…" Briefly pausing, Ruby looked down at her hands like she could still see the invitation there. "I _knew_ I could do it."

Of course Ruby could do it. She was capable of anything she set her mind to, but her uncertainty could be read across her furrowed brow.

If she wasn't sure, maybe there was hope that her mind could be changed.

"Being capable and being ready aren't always the same thing," Weiss pointed out.

"Yeah...I know. And this is gonna be...like, _huge!_ There'll be so many people I don't remember. And fighting in front of an entire stadium filled with people? I could make a big fool of myself."

"Then why go?" Weiss asked, her tone on the verge of a plea. "Why put yourself through that? You could always go back some other time. And you could participate next year."

Weiss needed Ruby to see that this was too soon to bring the past out into the open. Maybe Ruby was ready, but Weiss wasn't. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"But it _feels_ like the right time. And I think I'm ready." As Ruby's brow unfurrowed, she gave Weiss a cheerful grin. "It's the band-aid approach! Just rip it off, yell some bad words, then you're done!"

The uncertainty disappeared, taking Weiss' false hopes right along with it. Again, Yang had been right. There was no talking Ruby out of this. For better or worse, she'd decided that this was the next mountain she would climb. And if the last year had proven anything, it was that nothing would prevent Ruby from reaching any goal she set.

"Plus, I really wanna fight in this tournament!" Ruby added.

Holding back a sigh, Weiss managed a thin smile instead. Of course Ruby wanted to fight in the tournament - everyone wanted to fight in the tournament. It was rare that official huntsmen had the opportunity to show the rest of the world what they were capable of. The Invite presented them with an opportunity to impress and dazzle on a scale they weren't provided out in the forests.

But who else would be there? Unfortunately, Weiss' self-imposed exile meant she'd lost touch with the other huntsmen from Beacon. According to Yang, JNPR was already out, but what about CFVY? CRDL would absolutely be there - those boys hardly did anything else.

So many familiar names, so many opportunities for the past to reappear.

"Won't it be hard...going back there?" she asked delicately. Personally, it would be the opposite of easy for Weiss to set foot near Beacon again, but Ruby shrugged in response.

"It might be weird if there's a lot of people I don't recognize, but if I had friends before, maybe I can make them again! Hopefully they won't be offended about me forgetting them..."

"Of course they won't be offended," Weiss replied on impulse.

"I hope not! Especially because…" Ruby hesitated for a second before lowering her voice to continue. "Yang said she'd ask my partner to come. I really don't want to offend her right off the bat."

"You could never do that…" Weiss whispered, feeling a grip tighten around her heart as Ruby looked up with bright eyes.

"I was all worried that something bad happened to her, but now I might actually get to meet her, Weiss! If she comes - which, ya know, she might not. It's last minute and she could be busy, but if she's there...I could say 'hello' and, uh, maybe ask her a question or two!"

Staring across the table, Weiss wasn't sure if Ruby was more excited or nervous about the prospect of meeting her partner.

What if Weiss could save Ruby the anticipation and tell her right now? What if Weiss could say that Ruby already knew who her partner was. It was the girl sitting across from her - the coward who'd been too scared to mention that rather significant piece of their shared history.

But when Weiss opened her mouth, no words came out. Instead, she wrote off the idea as another fruitless endeavor and focused on Ruby's nervous expression.

"Do you think that...maybe…" Ruby began to ask, only to stop and shake her head before starting over. "Would you come with me?" she asked, her eyes silently pleading Weiss to say 'yes.' "I mean, I know you're busy with work and all, but it'd mean a lot to me if you were there. I kinda made it seem like nothing to Yang, but...it's kind of a big deal, ya know?"

Her heart melting on the spot, Weiss knew there was absolutely no way she could say 'no.' Who could possibly say 'no' to those eyes?

Reaching across the table, she gently took Ruby's hand to prevent it from worrying a hole into the tablecloth.

"Of course I'll be there."

The promise hardly made it past her lips before two steaming plates of spaghetti appeared at their side. Letting go of Ruby's hand, Weiss sat back in her seat.

"I'm so ready for this!" Ruby said as the food was set in front of her. The nervousness of a couple seconds ago had disappeared and been replaced with starry eyes intent on consuming a great deal of food in a short amount of time.

Pushing any thought of Beacon to the back of her mind, Weiss picked up her fork and took a good look at the food resting in front of her.

"Oh, there are olives in the sauce."

"Mmm, I love olives!" As Ruby stuck the first giant forkful in her mouth, Weiss stared in surprise.

Right - Ruby refused to eat olives after the extremely ill-advised olive-eating contest she'd had with Nora. But this version of Ruby didn't remember that...which was probably a good thing.

Before tasting the food for herself, Weiss watched while Ruby chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed.

"So what do you think? How does mine stack up?"

"This is good," Ruby answered succinctly. "But not as good as yours!"

"You flatter me." Not that Weiss minded one bit.

"I'm totally not! I'd never lie about food. That'd be like...the worst kinda lie."

"I'll keep that in mind," Weiss joked while trying a much smaller bite from her own plate. Laughing joyfully, Ruby pointed her fork playfully across the table.

"You can't lie to me anyway, Weiss! You have a tell, remember?"

"What _is_ it?"

Weiss tried to look exasperated but failed miserably when Ruby giggled and shook her head.

"Not _tell_ ing!"

Momentarily pouting, Weiss eventually smiled regardless. It was nearly impossible _not_ to smile when Ruby was so cheerful.

"This is fantastic, by the way," Weiss commented, pointing down to her plate. "I'm afraid we might need to have your taste buds checked."

"It _is_ great! But it's...missing something."

"Garlic bread?" Weiss teased, succeeding again in making Ruby giggle.

"That too! But like...you know how they say homemade food is 'made with love?'"

"Yes…"

"Well, this chef obviously doesn't love me!" Ruby concluded with a grin. The implication behind the words made Weiss blush, but Ruby didn't appear to be taking the meaning that far.

"He only needs to meet you...then I'm sure he will."

"If only it was that easy!" Ruby remarked with a laugh, her eyes sparkling merrily.

It _was_ that easy. If only Ruby knew how she made Weiss' heart do little flips and jumps in her chest, then she might have some idea of how lovable she was. But Ruby had already moved on to the next forkful of food and the next topic.

"So do you think Blake ever gets confused about what ears she hears a sound through?"

A startled burst of laughter escaped Weiss at the unexpected question.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Like, say she hears something - does she wonder if her cat ears heard it or her human ears? Or does she always just assume it was her cat ears?"

It was a mystery how Ruby came up with some of these questions, but Weiss had learned that it was quite fun to play along. Sometimes suspending rational beliefs was cathartic, in a way.

"Well…" she began, unraveling a foolish answer on the fly. "You'd think that because her cat ears have better hearing, they'd hear everything first, but I bet they actually take turns. One ear listens for an entire day while the other three turn off. That way none of them get too tired. Audio exhaustion - it's a real thing, you know."

It was easy to know if her answer was correct because, if it was, Ruby would burst into infectious giggles - just like now.

"That's why sometimes she has to turn one ear towards you all weird!" Ruby gasped before devouring another huge bite of noodles. "You're so smart!"

Smiling, Weiss watched in amazement as spaghetti disappeared in large chunks from Ruby's plate. There was a reason why Ruby had been known as The Vacuum at Beacon - and it had nothing to do with the torrents of wind she created with her semblance.

"Are you going to have enough?" Weiss asked, nodding at Ruby's rapidly depleting plate of food. "Because it's highly unlikely I'll be able to finish all of this, so maybe you could help me?"

"You sure?" Ruby's eyes were already filled with stars at the prospect when Weiss nodded. "Awesome! Lemme know when you're done."

Chuckling while Ruby quickly emptied her plate of food, Weiss took a few more bites of her own. Ruby was blessed with a metabolism that seemed to work as fast as she could run - which meant that she was tasked with finishing whatever Weiss wasn't able to eat. It was a mutually beneficial relationship in more ways than one.

When Weiss reached her limit, she gladly slid the plate across the table to her partner - who accepted it with a soft 'oooh' of delight. While Ruby was temporarily distracted by the influx of food, Weiss waved a hand and subtly caught their waiter's attention. He appeared in a dash, leaning down to hear what she'd like next.

"We'd like to order the dessert menu," she said, sending a glance Ruby's way and earning an oblivious grin for the effort.

"You mean you'd like to see a dessert menu?"

"No, I mean we'd like to order one of everything you have on it."

Surprised but willing to go along with the unorthodox request, he laughed and nodded before hurrying away to put in the order.

"Are you going to have room?" Weiss asked as Ruby finished off the second plate.

"Room for what?"

"Dessert, silly - you didn't think I'd take you somewhere that didn't have fantastic desserts, did you?"

Squealing in joy, Ruby slid out of her seat and rushed over to give Weiss a sideways hug before returning to the other side of the table.

"Best date ever!" Ruby proclaimed, gasping when their waiter appeared with the first of several dessert plates that he lined up in front of them. "Which one do you want?"

"They're...all for you," Weiss managed to reply, her shock slowly dissipating from the word Ruby had used without even realizing it.

"What? No way! You have to at least try a bite of each."

All that was needed to convince Weiss were two silver eyes and a hopeful expression.

"A _small_ bite," she agreed, reaching towards the first plate as Ruby set in on another with gusto. Glancing over, Weiss smiled at Ruby's elation while her own heart thumped loudly in her ears.

A date. Ruby just called it a date. That was why she'd dressed up, and why she'd seemed uncharacteristically nervous when they got to the restaurant.

Ruby thought this was a date.

It felt like someone had just flown Weiss to the moon and left her there. Even if she hadn't _explicitly_ asked Ruby on a date, the fact that Ruby thought it was meant that she would have _agreed_ to go on a date. If Weiss had managed to ask, 'Ruby, would you go on a date with me?' Ruby would have said _yes_. Which meant…

"Mmm-mgod! This one's so good!" Ruby pointed to the plate before pushing it across the table. "You've gotta try it!"

Smiling, Weiss reached out to try a piece of chocolate cake that looked sweet enough to give her an instant cavity.

If Ruby would agree to a date...it meant that Ruby liked her. _Liked_ her.

That's what it meant, right? How could it possibly mean anything else? It wasn't as if they threw that word around for no good reason. Weiss couldn't even remember the last time she'd used it when not discussing a calendar or event.

Ruby _liked_ her - as impossible, unbelievable, and incredible as that seemed.

Weiss couldn't believe it. But she wanted to believe it.

"Try this one too!" Ruby said as she pushed another plate forward and moved on to the next.

With her heart beating wildly in her chest at what she'd just learned, Weiss took a forkful of cheesecake before moving the plate closer to Ruby. Smooth, creamy, sweet, but relatively good. One bite was enough - at least, for someone with such a minor sweet tooth like her. Thankfully, especially considering how much she'd ordered, she wasn't here alone.

If Ruby could eat a regular meal fast, the rate at which she consumed dessert was nearly ungodly. It didn't matter that there were six different plates to plow through - she did so giddily and with hardly a pause between each.

All the while, Weiss stared - her heart jumping and cartwheeling with every adorable noise Ruby made.

If Ruby liked her...what did that mean? What should Weiss do next? Try to arrange an official date? Another dinner somewhere, or maybe a movie? If Ruby was free this weekend…

Weiss' thoughts screeched to a halt as she remembered a pretty important fact. The Beacon Invite was this weekend - and she'd just agreed to accompany Ruby. If Ruby's partner showed up at the Invite, what would happen to this...this feeling growing between them? Would it disappear? Would it be destroyed?

Shaking the worry from her mind, Weiss smiled when Ruby cleaned the last plate and shoved it away from her with a satisfied groan.

"Was it good?" Weiss ventured to guess.

"I'm begging Yang to bring me here all the time," Ruby answered, leaning back in her seat and wiping her brow as if she'd just finished running a marathon. Not that running a marathon would be particularly taxing for her...

"Well, I'm willing to come back too - if Yang doesn't want to take you," Weiss hesitantly offered. When Ruby grinned and bobbed her head in agreement, Weiss' heart thumped happily.

"How 'bout only you and I come here?" Ruby proposed in return. "It can be like - our secret place!"

At Ruby's grin, Weiss couldn't help but nod in acceptance.

Ruby liked her.

Ruby actually liked her.

"I like the sound of that," she said, her smile growing at the delighted sound Ruby let out.

"Wow, you finished it all!" their waiter exclaimed as he returned to the table and collected the empty plates. "Can I get you another round or…?"

"I think we're done," Weiss replied, looking to Ruby and receiving confirmation. "Thank you."

With a nod, he slyly grabbed the card Weiss presented him before heading off with the stack of plates in his hand. As he retreated, remorse built in her chest that their night had passed so fast. Well...it hadn't been _that_ fast, but time had certainly flown by.

It was so easy to spend time with Ruby and not think about everything else that was happening - Beacon, lost memories, their past - none of that seemed to matter when Ruby was making jokes about how spaghetti should be named the national dinner and always be free on Sundays.

"Do you think you can walk?" Weiss teased as their waiter walked back with her card and a receipt.

"I refuse to walk anymore!" Ruby proclaimed before setting one hand on her stomach and blowing a puff of air through her lips. "But tonight might be an exception…"

Chuckling while gathering her belongings, Weiss slid out of the booth and waited for Ruby to pop up beside her.

"Shall we?" she asked, gesturing towards the exit. After nodding, Ruby calmly reached over and intertwined her fingers with Weiss' - oblivious to the instant increase in heartbeat the action caused.

Since when was Ruby so casual about holding hands? When had this become a thing? Was it because they'd held hands walking into the restaurant?

Did Weiss care what brought it about? It felt incredible to be holding hands again - so much so that she wished they'd parked much further away.

"I could _totally_ still run, you know," Ruby commented as they made their way through the restaurant. "I just...prefer only seeing food once..."

"I don't doubt you one bit," Weiss answered, making Ruby smile in content.

"Thank you for coming," the host said on their way out the door. "We hope to see you again soon."

"Youuu betcha!" Ruby replied with a giggle, swinging Weiss' arm while they walked into the cool night air. Much of the line had disappeared as dinner passed by, but there were still several people waiting to be seated.

"Ok…" Ruby said while walking over to the car, her feet slightly jittery with sugar-infused energy. "So that was _pretty_ dang good, but I still give the edge to yours!"

"That's just those three cakes you had talking," Weiss joked, smiling when Ruby opened the car door for her once again. After waiting patiently for Weiss to slip inside, Ruby carefully shut the door and raced around to the passenger side.

"I _might_ have had a _little_ too much sugar, but that means you should trust my taste buds even more!" Closing her door and finding her seatbelt, Ruby grinned at Weiss the entire time. "Clearly I have experience with _lots_ of food!"

Laughing at Ruby's influx of hyperactivity, Weiss set them on course for what was likely going to be an entertaining drive home. Based on the speed at which Ruby's knee was currently bouncing up and down, she might need to run twenty more miles to settle back down. Hopefully she wouldn't be flying around the house too much. Otherwise, Weiss might get an earful for letting her eat so much sugar so close to bedtime.

"If I ask a question, will you answer?" Ruby suddenly asked. "And like, honestly?"

Curious at the unexpected question, Weiss glanced in Ruby's direction before turning her attention back to the road.

"I have to, right? You can tell when I'm lying."

"Right! So you can't even lie if you want to!"

"Not that I have reason to," Weiss added, growing worried about what the question might be. "So yes. If you ask me a question, I'll answer honestly."

Was that even an honest reply? What if Ruby came right out and asked who her partner was? Could Weiss be honest then? If she _did_ have a tell, then she likely didn't have a choice...but she never wanted to lie to Ruby anyway. Not in response to a direct question, at least…

"Ok, cool," Ruby replied. "Because I've been wondering if you...uh…"

Turning towards the passenger seat when the question trailed off to nothing, Weiss found that Ruby was scrunching up her face in concentrated effort.

"If I what?" Weiss prodded gently.

"If you...like...if you've ever considered being a full-time huntress?"

Surprised, Weiss turned to Ruby again to see if she was joking, but she was nodding her head.

"I mean, you're totally good enough to do it!" Ruby continued, her words flowing easily now. "If you wanted to, ya know? And I don't know if you have your own team or not, but like...I'm sure Blake and Yang wouldn't mind if you joined up with us!"

Shock. Dismay. Paralyzing surprise. Those were all good terms for what Weiss was feeling right now.

"Are you asking me...to join your team?" she clarified.

"Yeah! It'd be cool, wouldn't it? Then we could go on hunts together all the time! I mean, I guess we could do that anyway, but it'll be more official-like!"

"But what about your partner?" she managed to ask, making sure to keep her eyes glued to the road while her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.

"She hasn't been around!" Ruby replied, not at all perturbed by the conversation. "If she doesn't want to be on the team, I don't see why you couldn't join instead! But you don't have to if you don't want to..."

"No, Ruby, I - I..."

Weiss didn't know what to say. Obviously, Ruby had no idea how big of a deal it was to join a different team. It didn't happen. It just didn't. Either you remained with your original team, or you went solo. Even if you went on hunts with another group - even if you _lived_ with another group of huntsmen - you were _always_ a member of your original team. That spot was never taken away from you.

And that was _Weiss'_ spot Ruby was handing away. Granted, she was offering it back to Weiss, but that didn't lessen the shocking amount of hurt. When Weiss had lost everything - her best friends, her partner, her way of life - she'd remained a member of Team RWBY whether or not she was there. That was a part of her no matter what.

On the flip side...for Ruby to like Weiss enough to propose such a thing was encouraging. It meant that Ruby wanted Weiss' company for team practices, team hunts, all of the above. Ruby wanted to spend time together - so much so that she'd just made quite a drastic suggestion.

"That's...a much bigger decision - because of my position at my family's company," Weiss finally strung together in response, sparing Ruby a slightly-strained smile. "Preparations would need to be made for my replacement."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I kinda forgot about that."

"It's alright," Weiss said, feeling a strong tug on her heart when she saw Ruby's downtrodden expression. "But I'll start looking into it," she quickly added. "Whether or not I could do it full time, I'd still love to join you whenever possible."

The sparkle in Ruby's eyes was immediately restored, allowing Weiss to breathe easier. Only slightly though, as the boa constrictor hadn't yet released its grip on her throat.

It wasn't reasonable to be so upset because Ruby didn't know what she was suggesting. But what if Ruby had found someone else she liked as much as Weiss? Would she have made the same offer? Weiss would have lost the love of her life, her friends, her family, and her team. The mere thought was crushing.

"And I'd love to have you there!" Ruby replied, tapping the top of her bouncing knee before adding, "Cuz you're great, you know?"

How was it so easy for Ruby to heal Weiss' wounds with a few simple words? It was as if she somehow knew, without really knowing, that what she'd just offered had caused some amount of pain. So she went out of the way to ensure Weiss felt special and valued.

Smiling in relief, Weiss felt the temporary grief already fading away - and it was completely gone by the time they reached Ruby's home. After the vehicle stopped by the side of the darkened street, Ruby again jumped out and raced around to open Weiss' door before her hand could even reach the handle.

"Thank you," she murmured, blushing again while accepting Ruby's chivalrous gesture.

As they made their way up the front path, the walkway which normally seemed so long now seemed incredibly short.

Weiss didn't want the night to end. She didn't want to feel the weight of Ruby's absence for another cold night alone in that mansion she currently called home. She didn't want to wait to see Ruby again - not when they used to spend the entirety of their days and nights together.

From the way Ruby dragged her feet towards the door - no longer speeding everywhere with her semblance - it was easy to pretend that she felt the same.

But they reached the stoop sooner rather than later. The porch light had been left on, but the room beyond the front windows was dark and empty. Briefly touching the door handle, Ruby paused and turned back to Weiss.

"Thanks for the great dinner," Ruby said before looking down at her hands and fidgeting with the house key. "It's nice to get out every once in a while! I had a ton of fun."

"I did too," Weiss replied, clasping her hands together by her waist so that she wouldn't fidget as well. "I know you'll be busy preparing for the Invite, but hopefully we can see each other soon?"

"Yeah! Actually, do you wanna come over and help me get ready? Like...spar or hang out or something?"

'Or something' might as well be 'or anything.' As long as they could spend time together, Weiss would agree to anything. And the sooner, the better.

"Absolutely. Whenever and whatever you need."

Ruby's eyes lit up at the response.

"Yeah? How 'bout tomorrow night then?"

"At night?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"Like after dinner? Sometimes they make teams fight in the dark! I need to practice my night vision."

"Ah." Nodding in understanding, Weiss smiled at Ruby's attempt to prepare for the random wrinkles the tournament hosts loved to throw at their contestants. When it was all for show, turning off the lights and giving the spectators night vision was but one arrow they had in their quiver. That particular one hadn't been much of a problem with Blake around - it was the water one that had done them in when the same team member refused to stop clinging to Yang's shoulder. Regardless…

"Then I'll message you before I come over," Weiss replied with another smile that Ruby met for a second before bashfully glancing away.

Before Weiss could question the cause of the bashfulness, Ruby stepped forward and wrapped her in a tender hug - one that she returned easily, no longer thrown off guard or frozen by the sudden displays of friendship. Being held in Ruby's arms was something she'd missed so incredibly over the past year...so much so that it might take millions of hugs before she felt whole again.

"I can't wait," Ruby whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine before moving away - but not moving very far away at all.

When Ruby's arms dropped, one fell to gently hold Weiss' elbow while silver eyes never strayed from her face, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. It was moments like these where she found it incredibly difficult to prevent her past emotions from taking control. Every cell in her body screamed at her to lean forward a few inches - to stand up on her tiptoes to reach Ruby's lips. It would be so easy...so gratifying...

"Thank you so much. For everything," Ruby suddenly said as she backed towards the door, leaving Weiss frozen in place. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

With one last grin and a wave, Ruby disappeared into the house. And when the door closed, a giant whoosh of air pressed out of Weiss' lungs.

Was it even possible for this to happen a second time? The pounding heartbeat, the sweating palms. The desire, but uncertainty - does she, doesn't she - was it too soon to take _that_ step? Was Ruby aware of the signals she was sending, or was Weiss misreading the signs completely?

Shaking her head and walking away from the house, certain realities forced their way back to the forefront of her mind now that Ruby wasn't around to keep them at bay. Overall, tonight had been an excellent night for the Weiss of today, but not such a great night for the Weiss of times past.

Yet...that's exactly who Yang and Blake wanted her to be now.

How long had it been since she'd been Weiss Schnee - a proud member of Team RWBY? It felt like that memory was a completely separate person from who she was now. Now there were two Weiss Schnees - both of them hopelessly in love with Ruby - but only one of them, this one, might have a chance to regain even a fraction of what they'd once had.

Ruby _liked_ her. But how would Ruby feel when she found out that Weiss and this infamous partner - who'd been missing for a year and was 'too busy' to make the trip to Vale - were one and the same?

Weiss understood that Yang didn't want Ruby to be disappointed. She understood that Ruby wanted to meet her partner. She understood that one day she would have to stop hiding from the past. She understood all of those things, but Ruby _liked_ her. A few months ago that was something she couldn't have even begun to fathom. Now it was here, and it was true - she could feel it.

How could she possibly put that in jeopardy?


	28. Chapter 28

It was showtime!

Well, not yet, but it _would_ be showtime in just a few days! Crunch time! Whatever time!

The Beacon Invite was right around the corner! Training hours and practice times would be cranked up by a factor of ten. All non-essential hobbies were now _non-essential_! Sleeping in? _Non-essential._ Watching TV? _Non-essential._ Walking? _Non-essential!_

Especially that last one. Walking sucked.

To avoid making a fool of herself in front of a huge crowd of strangers ( _and_ the television audience), Ruby needed to buckle down and focus on getting as good as possible in the next couple days. Sure, it was only a couple of days, but that didn't mean she couldn't improve by leaps and bounds if she tried hard enough. She realized people said 'Vale wasn't built in a day' or whatever, but she wasn't trying to build _all_ of Vale - just a tiny portion of it!

With her current level of determination through the roof, she was back to the grind of early mornings and late nights stuffed with training. Waking up earlier, going to bed later, and spending every moment in between figuring out how to make herself better. There was going to be pain - and lots of it - but it'd be pain that came from a hard day's work - not the lingering pain from nearly severed hands. And one of those things was _clearly_ better than the other.

Her new schedule was to wake up, train, train, train, train, and then temporarily get distracted whenever Weiss sent a message. Not that there was any problem with that. Weiss had already been deemed a _very essential_ part of the day. The most essential, in fact!

But the second most essential was training, which Ruby started bright and early this morning. Well, technically it wasn't bright at all since she was already outside with Thorn and Crescent Rose by the time the sun woke up.

Her morning training went well, but she had lots of time to regret the missed opportunities she'd had at dinner to ask if Weiss liked anyone. Seriously, she'd chickened out big time - more than once, too! There'd been _so many_ chances to bring it up, but each time she ended up sputtering like a tugboat before asking a different question instead. It was _horrible!_ It was like...knowing exactly what question you wanted to ask, but asking a different one instead.

Ok, maybe Ruby hadn't asked what she _wanted_ to ask...and she hadn't brought up anything remotely close to the topic...but she _had_ asked Weiss to come to the Beacon Invite! And Weiss said yes!

As an extra-added, cherry-on-top bonus, she was also coming over soon to help Ruby practice.

Essential + essential = essential squared!

Essential x essential = …she was a huntress, not a mathematician!

Either way, there were a lot of essential things happening at once. Ruby was going to train hard, and she was _going to_ ask Weiss today. She was definitely going to. That was her daily goal, and she hated not reaching her goals. If she chickened out again...then she would _voluntarily_ ask Yang to explain the plot of whatever show she currently loved watching. That was like five hours of punishment, _minimum_.

Wait, did Ruby really want to enforce a punishment that could potentially be everlasting?

Yes, she would because there was no way she wanted to listen to that! So she _had_ to ask Weiss today. It would be easy! 'Hey, do you happen to like anyone?' It was only like...six words. Six little words that would reveal so much information. Like, most importantly, whether or not Ruby even had a shot.

But if Weiss replied with 'oh yeah, this guy at my office…' or something like that, Ruby was going to knock her head against the nearest wall to put herself back into the hospital.

Just kidding. Kind of...

'Hey, do you happen to like anyone?'

The answer would either lead to very happy Ruby or really bummed Ruby.

Oh, it's seven words. Well, whatever - it wasn't many! She'd used more than that to greet her toothbrush this morning. Because who didn't greet their toothbrush in the morning? It was only the thing that kept her teeth nice and white and clean. Wasn't that deserving of a 'good morning?'

Oral hygiene was _very essential_ , which meant that Timmy-Too was a big part of her day! And he was extra special because Yang had driven around town to find him after his twin brother, Timmy, had grown a bit too old and frazzled. That had been a sad day...but now Timmy-Too was here, and there were six more Timmy's in the closet waiting to be opened!

Humming a tune to herself, Ruby dashed into the kitchen to fill up a bottle of water for training (fairly essential - dehydration was no joke). Hearing a buzz from her pocket, she set down the partially-filled bottle and pulled out her scroll to find a message...from Weiss!

Wait, why was that surprising? Weiss was the only one who messaged her besides Yang and sometimes Blake.

Anyway, the message said... _'Is now be a good time to come over? I can leave the office in a few minutes.'_

Yes! The _best_ part of the day had finally arrived. Ruby had only waited alllll day for this very moment. Typing a happy response filled with exclamation points, she sent it off and stared down at the scroll for a second. When she saw that the message had been received, she slipped the device back into her pocket and continued her humming, adding in a few whistles to boot.

Weiss was comin' over, yeah, yeah, yeah! Weiss was comin' over toni-i-iight.

Reaching over the sink to fill her water bottle all the way up - whistling all the while - she glanced over her shoulder when she felt eyes watching her - and found both Yang and Blake staring at her. Blake was impossible to read, as usual, but Yang had this smile that said she was pleased to see something.

"What?" Ruby asked, shutting off the faucet and screwing the cap back on her bottle. The question made Yang's smile turn into an outright grin.

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I'm always in a good mood!"

"Uh huh…" Yang replied in a teasing tone. "So it wouldn't be a certain short-tempered heiress that's got you all chipper?"

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, her cheeks warming just from just the mention of Weiss' name. "She's not short-tempered."

"Not with you," Blake remarked before grinning. "And you dodged the question."

Ruby grimaced at the accurate observation. Nothing slipped by Blake. Once, Ruby had seen the girl grab a _fish_ right out of the water! Like...if that little bugger couldn't slip past on its own turf, nothing ever would.

Of course, Ruby was far more cunning than a fish!

"I'm just having a good day," she stated as nonchalantly as possible, throwing in a high-level shoulder shrug to boot. "Isn't that allowed?"

It absolutely _was_ allowed. It was! But the question clearly didn't work. Instead, Yang and Blake exchanged big smiles before turning back to her.

"Ruby's got a crushhhhhh."

Ruby's cheeks instantly heated up when Yang said the word in a sing-song voice and reached out to try to tickle her in the ribs.

"Come on, Yang," Ruby said while wiggling away. "We're just friends. It's nice to have a friend."

Yang nodded understandingly. "You're right; it's great to have friends - especially ones you can _crush_ on."

"We're _friends_!" Ruby reiterated. Technically, she was telling the truth. She and Weiss _were_ just friends, but that little technicality didn't keep her cheeks from turning as red as her name.

"Are you feeling ok?" Yang asked, her eyes teasing while she faked concern. Stepping closer, she tried to press the back of her hand to Ruby's forehead, but Ruby backed away. "Because you're looking a little warm there."

"It's really hot in here!" Lifting her hands to her cheeks, Ruby could feel the heat radiating from them. It only got worse when Yang laughed and tried to reach out again, only for Ruby to knock her hand away.

"Give her a break, Yang," Blake finally said, tapping Yang on the shoulder before walking over to the refrigerator. "Ruby, I made some lemonade this afternoon - your favorite. Want some?"

"Thank you, Blake," Ruby replied before sticking her tongue out at her sister. "And yeah, that'd be awesome! I didn't know you made any!"

"Sure did," Blake replied while pulling a glass from the cupboard. "Oh, but how would you like your ice? Cubed or _crushed_?"

As soon as the word left Blake's lips, Yang doubled over in laughter.

"Oh man," she managed to say between laughs, holding up a fist for Blake to tap. "You really _crushed_ that one."

They were super pleased with themselves, but Ruby rolled her eyes.

"You guys are dorks."

"Come on, Ruby!" Yang said between giggles that made Blake beam with pride. "Admit it - I know you think she's cute!"

Pursing her lips together, Ruby refused to respond. But that didn't stop her cheeks from burning even hotter in embarrassment. Weiss was one of the most beautiful girls Ruby had ever seen. It was like she'd stepped right out of a fairytale - a princess who was born to be pretty.

But Weiss wasn't _just_ a princess, and she wasn't _just_ pretty. She was super smart with a great sense of humor. She was generous and thoughtful and whenever she smiled, Ruby's heart cartwheeled in her chest.

No way Ruby was ever telling Yang that though!

"I mean, I _guess_ she's pretty." Ruby shrugged one shoulder and felt her blush darken. "Anyone would think that though."

"Anyone?" Yang repeated with a grin while Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, anyone! So no need to make a huge deal about it, gosh…"

"You should know, Ruby, that your blush might as well be a signed confession," Blake commented as she put the empty glass back into the cupboard.

"You didn't even make lemonade?" Ruby gasped in shock. "You lied so that you could make a crappy joke?"

Blake returned Ruby's consternation with what was _probably_ supposed to be an innocent expression, but it was anything but.

"Hey now," Yang cut in as she predictably came to Blake's aid. "I'm the master of crappy jokes around here and that was _not_ a bad one. A bad one would be something like - Ruby, your cheeks are as red as _crushed_ tomatoes right now."

While both of them laughed, Ruby raised her hands to feel her warm cheeks. Yup, they were definitely redder than red.

"So you think she's cute! That's adorable," Yang said, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulders and giving her a little shake. "I guess that means you're finally old enough to have _the talk_."

Blake let out a small snort of laughter before waving at Yang to continue. Turning her head, Ruby looked at her sister curiously.

"What talk?"

"You know...the birds and the bees."

"Aw Yang!" she immediately whined, pushing Yang off of her.

"I believe it would be the birds and birds?" Blake asked, the question causing Yang's brow to crease in thought before she grinned.

"Either way, I gotta give you the talk. It's a rite of passage!"

"That's not a thing!" Ruby protested.

"Yeah, it is! Everyone has to go through it!"

"Who gave you _the talk_ then?" Ruby demanded. The smile dropped right off of Yang's face as she glanced a Blake then shivered in fake horror.

"Dad did...and believe me - you'd much rather _I_ did this than him."

The idea of their dad giving any kind of serious talk made Ruby laugh, especially seeing Yang's expression. Dad sucked with that type of stuff! He always used the worst things for comparison. Once, he tried to explain how rainbows worked using a teaspoon. Ruby had listened to the entire made-up spiel before Yang interrupted with the much more understandable version she'd just learned in school.

So yes - if Ruby actually wanted to learn something, Yang was the better option. But not in this case!

"I don't need any talk!" Ruby insisted instead. "I'm old enough to figure this out on my own!"

"Oh really? Ok, _Miss Independent_ , then tell the truth - do you wanna kiss her?"

"Yang!" she shouted, her cheeks growing about a hundred times warmer in under a second.

"Oh she does," Blake said with a grin.

"You're blushingggg!" Yang added, gleefully poking at Ruby's cheek.

"No, I'm - that's not - this conversation is non-essential!" Ruby finally yelled, only succeeding in making both of her dumb housemates burst into more laughter before she rushed off to her room to find her boots. Weiss would be here any minute, and Ruby didn't want to be stuck with those two dumb-dumbs any longer.

If blushing was an admission of how she felt...then she'd just admitted a whole heck of a lot. Curse her cheeks for giving away her feelings! And curse Yang for seeing right through her! Was it _that_ obvious? Sure, she _might_ have an itty, bitty, little crush. And yeah, maybe that also meant that _sometimes_ she wanted to - yeah, Yang was just right about everything.

"But she's a big stupid-head," Ruby muttered to herself while pulling on one of her boots and tightening the laces.

"Ohhh guess who's here!" Yang's voice called out a few seconds later.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted out of her room while hastily stomping a foot into her second boot and stumbling into the hall. By the time she made it to the living room, Yang was pulling open the front door to let Weiss inside.

"Hey Weiss!" Yang said - way too cheerfully.

"Hello Yang," Weiss replied, eyeing the girl suspiciously.

"We were just talking about you!"

Rushing over, Ruby used both hands to shove Yang out of the doorway. Not at all annoyed, Yang walked away chuckling with Weiss looked after her.

"Don't listen to her," Ruby said, sending a glare towards her sister. "She's just upset because Blake didn't make her any lemonade today."

"Oh don't worry, Ruby. Blake makes me lemonade _every_ day," Yang replied with a wink and grin that didn't even fade from the look of disbelief Blake gave her.

" _How_ did you manage to make that dirty?"

"I have no idea," Yang answered with a shrug. "It's all in the tone, I guess!"

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby said, taking Weiss' hand and heading towards the garage. "Those two are being super weird right now."

"Let me know when you wanna have that talk, Ruby!" Yang called after them, her joyful laughter filtering through the garage door even after Ruby closed it with a disgruntled huff.

"They're teasing you again?" Weiss asked.

"What else is new!"

When Ruby tried to throw her hands up in defeat, she realized that Weiss' fingers were still intertwined with her own. Her mind also chose that moment to remind her of all the thoughts and feelings that had been rushing through her head for what felt like forever now. And that one other word that began with the letter 'c' - a capital one, at that.

If Yang could read Ruby's mind right now, there'd be no end to the teasing. It didn't help that Weiss was so pretty. Somehow she was even prettier today than when they'd gone out to dinner. Was Weiss getting prettier? Because that'd be really unfair to the rest of the world. And bad for Ruby.

When she realized she was staring, she blushed and released Weiss' hand before moving to the other side of the workbench as if she was searching for something. Which she was! Where was Thorn? He was always a good distraction.

"Uh, so...how have you been?" she asked while opening a few drawers and closing them without looking inside.

Great. Now she was awkward Ruby. Well, technically she was _always_ awkward Ruby, but sometimes she hid it better than others. This was not one of those times...

"I've been doing well - how have you been?"

Erg. Weiss had the most put together answers ever! How did she talk like that? Ruby couldn't even convince her mind to _think_ like that, let alone get her lips to cooperate stringing the words together.

"I've been busy!" she answered quickly, a rush of pent-up energy making her words tumble out faster than normal. "I got up super early this morning and ran like a bazillion miles, then ate breakfast, then trained with Thorn, then ate lunch, then read through a strategy guide on Beowolves, then fiddled with Thorn - and that's basically it until you showed up!"

While Ruby spoke, she shoved several odds and ends around on the workbench so that Thorn could lay in the middle without anything crowding his space. Quickly pressing a couple of metal plates back in place on the back of the glove and screwing them in, she pulled it on to show Weiss.

"I added some new features!"

"Did you? Such as..?" Weiss asked, her eyes trained on the glove as if searching for whatever changes had been made. And her interest in Thorn was genuine, which made her the most perfect person ever.

"Uh, like...a tracking device!" Ruby answered while pointing to nothing more than a pinprick in one of the knuckles of the glove. "Cuz ya never know when you might need to be found, right?"

"That would be very useful if you were separated from your scroll."

"Or if I got kidnapped!" Ruby joked, drawing a horrified expression onto Weiss' face.

"I...I don't even know what I'd do if that happened…"

"You'd come to my rescue, of course!"

"Well, I'd try…"

"On a unicorn!" Ruby added, grinning when the word succeeded in making Weiss look less serious about the matter. Except she still _tried_ to look serious while dutifully nodding and hiding a smile.

"It _has_ been a while since I've taken Ignacio out of the stables…"

The answer made Ruby burst into giggles.

"The unicorn stables?" she asked.

"Oh yes. We breed them, you know."

"For racing?"

"No, they're just nice to look at."

Imagining a field of unicorns whose only purpose was to be looked at, Ruby laughed so hard that Weiss finally broke her serious expression and chuckled too.

"I'd love to see those!" Ruby quipped before turning her hand over and flexing her fingers. Satisfied with Thorn's immediate response, she nodded. It was crazy to think that it hadn't been too long ago that Thorn had felt like some alien attached to her hand. Now it was just...Thorn being Thorn!

"It sounds like you've had a busy day," Weiss commented, casually resting her hands on top of the workbench.

Glancing over, Ruby grinned when the painted thorns began to glow from their proximity. That was so freaking cool. It was like she and Weiss were connected by these little lines of paint. Or...uh...Thorn and Weiss' ring were connected by the paint, but that was essentially the same thing, right?

Subtly moving her gloved hand closer so the lines glowed even brighter, Ruby smiled up at Weiss. The smile she received in return was warm and friendly - such a big contrast to when they'd first met! There was still a hint of guardedness, but Weiss had changed a lot.

A lot of things had been changing recently, and they all seemed for the better!

"I, yeah, I was busy," Ruby answered when she realized staring wasn't going to advance their conversation. "But, uh, what'd you do today?"

Apparently, it was a sucky question to ask because it made Weiss' smile disappear. Note to self...don't ask that again!

"I worked all day. There's a never-ending stream of approvals that I'm somehow needed for." Glancing down at Ruby's hand, Weiss sighed, her shoulders rising and falling from the weight of it. "I miss the days when I wasn't involved in the family business…"

"What did you do before?" Ruby asked curiously, the question drawing Weiss' eyes back to her.

After studying Ruby for a few seconds, Weiss shrugged and glanced away. The gesture was so weird! It was something Ruby did all the time, but for someone so proper it looked strange!

"When I was younger, I wasn't expected to be involved due to school," Weiss answered casually. "Those were the days."

"I miss being a kid too. All play, no work!" Pausing for a second, Ruby wrinkled her brow before chuckling. "Although I guess that's kinda what I do now…"

"I wouldn't call training all day 'play.' Especially not how you do it."

"Eh...I guess…" Ruby wasn't entirely convinced, but it was nice of Weiss to try to make her feel better about not doing any sort of work. Her 'job' was to get healthy - that's what Yang always said. "But soon I can go on hunts again! Yang said after the Beacon Invite we'd go on another one. My choice this time!"

Smiling, Weiss remained uncharacteristically silent after Ruby's words. And after a few seconds, she glanced down at their hands resting on the workbench, appearing almost uncomfortable with what had just been said.

"You're totally invited to come, if you want!" Ruby quickly added. To her, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Weiss could come with them on any hunt, but maybe it wasn't as clear to Weiss. That's why Ruby had asked Weiss to join their team! Then there wouldn't be any confusion or uncertainty.

But it made sense that Weiss was a very important person at work and wouldn't be able to make that type of commitment as easily as someone like Ruby could. Maybe one day though...that'd be super cool.

"I'd love to come with you, if you still want me to...at that time," Weiss finally answered with a hopeful smile that made Ruby let out a scoff of disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'll want you there! Nothing's ever gonna change that!"

When Ruby beamed, Weiss only met her eyes for a split second before turning away.

Weiss was talking like a crazy person though! They hadn't known each other that long, but they were already so close. So close that Ruby was feeling things for Weiss that she'd never felt for another person before.

Coughing lightly into one hand, Ruby's cheeks decided to preemptively heat up when she realized that now might be a good time to ask the question. It was an ok time, right? She could ask - she _would_ ask. It was only six little words. No, seven. How was she going to ask again?

"Hey, so I've been kinda wondering…" she managed to say, gaining Weiss' attention only for crystal blue eyes to make her even more nervous. But she could do this - she could ask right now. Right now.

Seriously, ask now.

"Uh, you know, I've been wondering...do you happen to...like anyone?"

Ok, that was way more than seven words. But yay, she'd done it! Although from the look on Weiss' face, that wasn't at all the question she'd been expecting Ruby to ask. Not in the slightest. Unless Weiss' 'pure shock' expression was the same as her 'was totally expecting that' one.

"I-I mean, it just seems like, you know, you'd have a ton of options - i-if you were interested."

Ruby sputtering like a fish out of water did little to wipe the shock from Weiss' gaze. Maybe Ruby should've thought of something to say _after_ she'd asked the question. Or she should've talked to Yang about this first because she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.

"Well," Weiss finally responded, pausing for a second to clear her throat before continuing. "I...like you…"

"Yeah! Of course." Ruby chuckled nervously while her cheeks blushed even harder. "I mean, I know that cuz we're friends n' all. I was more wondering like...uh, like more than that?"

With each second that passed with Weiss stared in open surprise, Ruby grew more and more embarrassed.

"You totally don't have to answer that!" she finally said when she realized that she shouldn't pry into Weiss' personal life. "It's really none of my business."

"No, I...Ruby -"

"Ruby!"

At the sound of Ruby's name, both of them turned towards the house - where Yang poked her head through the garage door a second later.

"Hey Ruby," Yang said with a smile. "Can you help me with something real quick?"

Glancing at Weiss, who gave a half smile and nod, Ruby turned back to her sister.

"Uh, yeah! Sure!"

Meeting Yang at the door, Ruby looked over her shoulder before they left the garage behind, but Weiss was staring down at the workbench.

"Sorry, Blake - what did you need?" Yang asked as soon as they walked inside. Sitting on the sofa with one hand covering her eyes, Blake lowered it slowly and looked at them with a blank expression.

"Oh, nothing...was just trying to get your attention before you went out there…" she muttered before burying her nose in her book.

"As soon as Ruby helps me with this, my attention is all yours - promise!" Yang replied happily, taking Ruby's shoulder in one hand and guiding her down the hallway towards the backyard.

The two of them navigated down the narrow hallway before Yang pushed open the back door and held it for Ruby to walk through.

"Sorry to interrupt," Yang said as she hopped off the porch step and grabbed Ember Celica from the ground. "I'm having a little problem clearing a cartridge and thought I should ask you for help before I blew my good hand off."

Chuckling, Ruby took one of the gauntlets from her sister and looked it over. Of course it was the right one having issues again. The right one had been the problem child for the longest time now...it didn't make any sense either! Ruby fixed it _all_ the time, but then it miraculously broke itself again.

"How did this even happen?" she asked, poking at a severely jammed rotating cylinder.

"I was...ya know...trying out those DEBs Weiss gave us. Blake told me not to put the red ones right after the blue, but I did anyway and mucked it up." Running a hand through her hair, Yang let out a big sigh. "I guess I should've learned by now to always listen to her…"

"Probably should," Ruby mumbled in the midst of her analysis. "You'd get in trouble less."

"Yeah...but you know why I can't? Because doing that would be admitting that all the years of school we dragged ourselves to was for nothing! Why did we go through all that torture if we were just gonna let the women in our lives tell us what to do anyway? If I listen to Blake all the time, I'm admitting I wasted my life!"

"I would listen to Weiss," Ruby replied. "She's way smarter than me!"

"She's not. She just thinks she is."

When Ruby rolled her eyes, Yang continued.

"Ok, ok. So I'd say that Weiss is right a _lot_ , but Blake is _always_ right."

"For your safety, I won't tell either of them you said that," Ruby joked, making Yang laugh. Tugging one more time at the gauntlet she was holding, Ruby dropped her arms and sighed.

"I'm gonna need some tools to get this out," she concluded. "Won't take long, but I don't want to blow _my_ hand off either."

"Cool. Thank you!" When Ruby turned towards the house, Yang's hand reached out to stop her. "But hey, before you go...how's it going in there?" Nodding in the general direction of the house, Yang grinned.

"With Weiss?" Ruby asked after following her sister's nod.

"Yeah - you two having fun?"

The question sounded innocent, but Yang's expression was a dead giveaway that she wanted to tease Ruby again. Maybe. Sometimes it was so hard to tell! Maybe Yang wanted to tease, or maybe she was curious because she'd sensed the extreme wave of awkwardness wash over the house when Ruby attempted to find out if Weiss was already interested in someone.

"It's fun! I like when Weiss comes over!" Ruby responded truthfully. "And I'm glad you two aren't mad at each other anymore."

"Me too, kiddo, me too," Yang replied with a genuine smile, patting Ruby's shoulder before turning to head inside.

Apparently, that _hadn't_ been meant as an opportunity to tease, but now this might be Ruby's only chance to ask Yang for some advice.

"Uh, Yang?" Ruby asked, the question causing her sister to turn back to her.

Did she really want to ask Yang about this? Her sister might use the knowledge to tease her until the end of time, but Yang was also really good with people, so…

"I was wondering…" Ruby began slowly, her cheeks blushing from merely thinking about the topic. "If you, like, do you happen to know - or maybe have an idea - or something, uh…"

Yang's expression grew more amused the longer Ruby stuttered. But how did she want to ask? And why were these questions so dang hard to get out?

"How do you know," she tried again. "Or how do you guess, or, ya know, have some sort idea if - if another person -"

Groaning, she put her head in her hands. This was so embarrassing!

"I hope the ends of these questions are good," Yang finally said with a light chuckle. "What's up, Ruby? What's got your tongue tied in knots?"

The friendly reaction immediately put Ruby at ease. Yang always had that way about her - if she sensed that something was difficult for another person to get through, she found a way to make it easier with nothing more than a few short words or a little laugh. People skills...Yang had gotten all of them.

"Ok," Ruby attempted a third time, now feeling far more assured in her decision to seek Yang's advice. "How do you know if someone...uh...likes you?"

Blinking once in surprise, Yang tried to stop a growing smile - failing miserably, by the way.

"Are you talking about -?" Pausing, Yang nodded towards the house, and Ruby felt her cheeks grow redder.

"Um...yes?"

Laughing, Yang pulled Ruby in for a big hug.

"Of course Blake likes you!" Yang said while ruffling Ruby's hair. "You're practically her sister!"

"Yangggg!" Ruby whined, shoving her sister away and straightening out her hair. "You know I mean - you know…" Looking around as if someone might be watching them, she ducked her head and lowered her voice. "I mean Weiss."

"I know. Just wanted to hear you say it," Yang replied with a grin. "Because you like her, don't you?"

"Maybe…" Ruby muttered, making Yang reach out and tickle at her ribs, forcing her to laugh.

"You do, don't ya? Come on, spill, Ruby! You gotta tell me!"

"Yangggg!" Ruby squealed while wiggling in her sister's grasp. "Ok - ok, yes! I do!"

Letting go, Yang beamed in satisfaction while Ruby straightened her shirt and huffed in indignation.

"There - are you happy now?"

"Yup!" Yang replied, not at all perturbed by Ruby's pretend agitation. "Ok, how to tell if someone likes you...well, normally if someone _doesn't_ like you, they'll try to punch you. At least that's always been the case for me."

When Ruby rolled her eyes, Yang dropped her grin and kept talking - finally taking on a more serious and thoughtful expression.

"I guess it's more of a feeling...or a hunch. It's kinda hard to describe, but I guess the easiest way to find out is to see if they treat you differently than other people."

"Differently how?"

"Like...maybe they make eye contact with you more, or they laugh at more of your jokes, or when they're around you, you can just _feel_ that they like being there."

"Like how Blake laughs at your jokes even when they're not funny," Ruby teased.

"Ha ha - very funny," Yang replied cheekily. "I'll have you know that Blake thinks I'm _hilarious_."

"Uh huh…"

"That's only one part though!" Yang added, quickly changing the subject. "You can compare how they act with you versus other people. That'll tell you most of the story, right? But honestly, Ruby, the easiest thing is just to tell her how you feel."

"Just...flat out tell her that I like her?" Ruby asked in surprise. It had been nearly impossible for her to ask if Weiss liked anyone - how could she ever spill all these feelings out into the open?

"That's the fastest way. And then hopefully she'll tell you how _she_ feels in return."

Thinking about Yang's words, which were not as wisdomous as she might've hoped, Ruby could already feel her nerves growing second and third cousins. Yang was wrong - the easiest route was to _secretly_ and _slyly_ figure out if Weiss liked anyone, then figure out who that person might be. Scratch that. The easiest route was actually to do nothing, and maybe Weiss would eventually ask _Ruby_ who _she_ liked. What Yang was suggesting was the opposite of easy.

"But that sounds impossible!" Ruby wailed.

"Yeah, I know," Yang replied with a reassuring smile and nod of understanding. "But that's the best way to know for sure. Like with Blake...I thought she _might_ like me, but I wasn't sure until I bit the bullet and asked her out."

"But you at least had an _idea_ that she might like you first!" Ruby pointed out, which made Yang nod again.

"Sure, there were hints. Like how she seemed like a loner, but then she stuck to my side like glue. She refused to stop reading in the middle of a chapter for _anyone_ , except for me. Like seriously, if you interrupted her before she got to the end of a page, she could kill you with a glare. But, for some reason, I got special treatment. And then the more we got to know each other, the more she opened up about her past - her hopes and dreams and failures and fears...things she'd never told anyone before, she told me."

Briefly pausing, Yang looked towards the house - where Blake was probably still sitting on the sofa with a book in hand.

"I kept her secrets," Yang continued in a soft tone. "I protected them. Treasured them, even. That was what made me special - and that was a feeling unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. For this guarded, mysterious girl to trust her darkest secrets with _me_ , of all people…"

Finally turning back to Ruby, there wasn't a drop of humor left in Yang's eyes.

"Do you feel like Weiss treats you differently?"

"I've only ever seen her around you and Blake…"

"Yeah, but does she treat you differently than us? Does she kinda gravitate more towards you?"

Furrowing her brow, Ruby tried to decide if that was true. Weiss _did_ seem to stay closer to Ruby than Blake or Yang, but that could have more to do with them than with Ruby. Especially when Yang hadn't been very welcoming for a while.

"I guess…" Ruby replied, even though she wasn't entirely convinced.

"Does she trust you with things she hasn't told anyone else?"

"I think so? Or she's tried…" Ruby mumbled, remembering the conversation they'd had in the garage when she'd first looked over Myrtenaster. Weiss had been guarded, but it seemed like she'd made an effort to open up. It hadn't been entirely descriptive or detailed, but she'd allowed Ruby to see a bit of the pain she almost always hid from view.

"And when she turns those pretty blue eyes on you, do shivers go up and down your spine?"

"Yang!" she whined at the unexpected tease. Still, she couldn't help but smile when Yang chuckled.

"You know what I see, Ruby? I see a girl who goes out of her way to make sure you're happy. Even if it makes her uncomfortable or if it's something she doesn't think she can do, she does it for you. Everything she does seems to have you in mind."

"Do you really think so?" Ruby asked, earning a nod in reply.

"You can tell her," Yang said, setting one hand on Ruby's shoulder and smiling down at her. "She'd be crazy not to like you too."

Yang might be the master of bad jokes, but she was also the queen of pep talks.

"Thanks, Yang," Ruby replied, relief beginning to swirl through her. "And, uh, you don't think it's weird or anything? Since she's your friend?"

"Do you think it's weird to be friends with Blake?" Yang asked in return, causing Ruby to pause for a second before shaking her head.

"No, I guess not..."

"And you know I'm even _less_ likely to be weirded out by that type of thing, so don't worry! But...if she says she doesn't like you or makes you sad, I'm going to beat up on her a bit."

"Yangggg."

"Ok, ok, I won't! But if you're crying, no promises."

After sharing a grin, Ruby leaned into her sister's shoulder for a firm sideways hug and kiss on the head.

"So when ya gonna tell her?" Yang teased, making Ruby let out a big sigh as they walked back into the house together.

"I have no idea…"

It had taken her an entire day to work up the courage to ask a somewhat related question. How long would it take her to come right out and tell Weiss how she felt?

'Hey Weiss, I kinda, sorta, maybe like you. _Like_ you, like you.'

When they walked into the living room, Ruby saw that Weiss had come in from the garage and was talking to Blake about something. Maybe it was the sound of footsteps, but something caused both of them to turn towards Ruby and Yang at the same moment. Leaving Ruby behind, Yang walked right over to Blake and pulled her into a loving hug, burying her face in the crook of Blake's neck.

"Oh, hey there," Blake murmured in surprise before lifting a hand to gently run through Yang's hair.

Weiss didn't seem to notice the two. Instead, her attention was solely for Ruby as she stared with clear blue eyes that seemed to finish the incomplete smile resting on her lips. Chills ran up and down Ruby's arms, and her skin tingled with happiness for no other reason than that Weiss was right there - within reach. The best part was that Weiss looked just as happy to see Ruby too - as if they'd been apart for a really long time even though it was only a few minutes.

And suddenly...Ruby understood what Yang had been trying to explain.

Holy Grimm...Weiss might _like_ her.

"I need to fix this! I'll be right back!" Ruby said quickly while holding up Ember. Weiss barely managed to nod in response before Ruby raced into the garage and closed the door behind her. Taking deep breaths, she braced her back against the door like she might blow away in the nonexistent wind, while her heart threatened the beat out of her chest and run a few marathons unsupervised.

Weiss might like her though! Her! Ruby - the awkward one? Yeah, her. How had that happened? Who cared! If it was true…

If it was true, then Weiss liked her - and Ruby already knew that she liked Weiss - so they liked each other! Ok, so what was supposed to happen next?

Ruby needed to tell Weiss how she felt. Ah, shoot. Did that mean she should start thinking of some elaborate plan to ask Weiss out - like what Yang had done with Blake?

Did this mean that Weiss wanted to...kiss Ruby too?

Someone must've glued wings to Ruby's feet because she nearly flew over to the workbench to fix Ember Celica. Tossing Yang's weapon down, she found the proper tools to pry it open and started unscrewing some of the parts to fix the jam. By now, she'd taken the gauntlets apart and put them back together so many times she could probably do it with her eyes closed. Which was good because her mind was reeling at the moment.

Ok, one thing at a time. Just one thing at a time. First, she'd train as hard as possible for the Beacon Invite. Then, after the Invite was over, she could plan a way to ask Weiss out. Or to just confess all of these butterfly-y feelings fluttering through her chest.

What if Weiss asked her first?

Focus, Ruby! Beacon Invite first, then Weiss. Maybe she could _invite_ Weiss to the _Invite_.

Lame. She should keep thinking. And maybe stop smiling like an idiot.

Or just keep thinking.


	29. Chapter 29

When someone said they'd 'be right back,' did that mean they didn't expect anyone to follow them? Because that's what Ruby said right before racing into the garage...and now Weiss wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow or not. Had Ruby intended the phrase for Blake and Yang while expecting Weiss to follow her? Or had she meant it for all of them?

Based solely on indecision, Weiss stayed in the living room and waited for Ruby to return. Realistically, this might prove to be better than returning to the garage and resuming the line of questioning they were on before Yang called Ruby away.

That had been a straightforward question - a very, very straightforward question. Ruby wanted to know if Weiss liked anyone... _liked_ anyone. What reason could Ruby have for asking that question? Was it sudden, random curiosity? Or was it more than that?

Unfortunately, 'sudden' and 'random' were two words that described Ruby quite well. With the way her mind jumped from topic to topic, the question could have easily been a spur of the moment thought with no ulterior motive. For all Weiss knew, Ruby had caught the tail end of one of Yang's dramatic television shows, and so the subject of romance had lingered in her mind.

But on the off chance it _wasn't_ random - could it mean that Ruby had figured out Weiss' feelings?

If only Weiss had answered more assuredly...but the question caught her so off guard her brain immediately ground to a halt. By the time it started working again, Ruby was already walking through the garage door with her sister, leaving Weiss to imagine the conversation that could have been.

What would have happened if she'd managed to make her feelings known? 'Do you like anyone?' 'Yes - you, Ruby. I like you. In the most romantic way possible.'

But what then? What would Ruby say or do if she knew how Weiss felt about her? Would she be overjoyed? Surprised? Confused? Would she turn Weiss down on the spot? Or would she be open to the idea of...something more than just friends?

The current state of turmoil in Weiss' mind was a swirling cyclone of regret with a great deal of deja vu mixed in. It was as if she'd transported herself back to Beacon - where she was completely flummoxed at the idea of liking _anyone_ , let alone her boisterous leader. Trivial crush? Sure, she'd had plenty of those, but what she felt for Ruby refused to be swept away with time. Instead, the feelings had only grown stronger until they reached a pinnacle of undeniability - that's when she began overanalyzing every interaction, every missed opportunity, every fumbled attempt to make Ruby like her too.

Sighing in defeat, Weiss stopped staring at the garage door and turned towards Blake and Yang - who were still sharing a 'moment.' After spending so much time, she'd somehow retained her immunity to their nonstop intimacy. It was a skill Weiss had coveted while finishing up their schooling, and it was a necessity to survive living in such close quarters - otherwise, she may well have blown several gaskets.

Maybe _resistance_ was a better word for it, because they still wore on her nerves sometimes.

"What's up with you two?" she demanded when her impatience caught up to her.

Both girls turned towards her, but they were looking at her strangely - at least, Yang was. There was this playful little smile on her face that refused to leave. And Blake...Blake was impossible to read, as usual, but she was clearly studying Weiss for some unspoken reason.

"What's up with _you_ , Weiss?" Yang asked in reply, her tone not at all combative but rather...teasing. "You n' Ruby dating yet?"

"Could you _lower your voice,_ " Weiss hissed while shooting a worried glance towards the garage door, only succeeding in making Yang laugh.

"No need to be coy, Weiss. I heard what she just asked," Blake commented, turning Weiss' cheeks red while Yang's eyes widened in surprise.

"What did she ask?"

Blake grinned. "She asked if Weiss liked anyone."

When Yang turned to stare, mouth open in disbelief, Weiss blushed even harder. Of course, Blake had overheard the conversation. There probably wasn't a single space within the walls of this tiny house where Blake couldn't hear perfectly.

"Who _do_ you like, Weiss?" Yang asked, a teasing grin set in place. "More like who do you loooovee."

When Yang reached out to tickle her, Weiss took a step back and tried to act like she was annoyed.

"Could you please grow up?" she demanded, to no avail.

"Well come on - what did you say?"

Expectant eyes awaited Weiss' response and deflated her pretend annoyance into nothing but embarrassment.

"She didn't believe me when I said her…" she mumbled, looking away when Yang chuckled again.

Weiss had been honest, but Ruby took it to mean 'as friends' instead of something more. If only there had been more conviction in the words...or more time to formulate a thorough answer...

"This is _awesome_ ," Yang said to no one in particular before bumping Blake's elbow so they could share a smile.

Of course, Yang found this amusing - she had the first time, too. Somehow she'd figured out Weiss' blossoming feelings way before Ruby had, resulting in a few weeks of endless teasing that hadn't stopped even when Weiss and Ruby became an official couple. Come to think of it...Yang had been teasing Weiss ever since then, without fail.

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked, racking her brain for a topic that would take the spotlight off of her. "Like...how is Ruby doing with practices? Have both of you sparred against her yet?" Her attempt to change the subject made Yang laugh again, only this time it came out bordering on a scoff.

"We still have a _bit_ of pride, Weiss."

"You think she'd beat both of you?"

"Hell yeah she'd beat us!" Yang answered while Blake nodded.

"I think we could win the first time," Blake added thoughtfully. "But she'd win nine out of ten times after that. Unless we somehow cheated in our favor..."

"Are you serious?" Weiss asked, looking between the two girls and waiting for one of them to tell her they were joking. The news wouldn't be as surprising if they were having this conversation over a year ago, but with everything that had happened, she expected to have more time before Ruby surpassed them.

But Yang and Blake both nodded, apparently having already come to terms with this new reality.

"The problem is she's not just _fast_ anymore. Now she's fast _and_ can throw a punch." Yang threw a few quick jabs in the air to demonstrate before grinning proudly. "It's a deadly combination. She hasn't quite got the power, but she's got all my best moves!"

"That's right. You _did_ teach her all your best stuff," Blake commented, smacking Yang lightly across the shoulder before briefly rubbing at her jaw. "Why did you do that again? The other day she decked me with a right hook."

"Awww," Yang cooed, wrapping her arms around a squirming Blake and trying to press kisses to her cheek. "Did my little sister hit you? Here, I'll kiss it and make it alllll better."

Blake used one palm to push Yang's face away, both girls laughing at their lackluster struggles.

"It was like being stung by a bee instead of being hit with a sledgehammer. I'd prefer to avoid either."

"Careful, Blakey - cuz you know I'll knock you out," Yang said with a wink.

"Not if I tie you up in knots first," Blake replied - her voice low while she batted her eyelashes at the same time.

"Well, you know I _love_ when you do that..."

Rolling her eyes, Weiss shuffled her feet and coughed into one hand to regain their attention before this conversation slid further downhill. It didn't bother her that they seemed to forget she was standing there - it was actually comforting, in a way. Instead of standing out as an outsider, she was back to being part of the scenery in the storybook life the two had built for themselves.

Swiveling in Yang's arms, Blake allowed Yang to continue hugging her from behind while refocusing on Weiss.

"I haven't been able to beat her since she finished Thorn," Blake admitted. "She keeps getting better with him too. And more unpredictable."

Before Weiss could reply, Ruby reappeared in the living room and tossed a gauntlet to Yang - who caught the weapon in one hand while refusing to remove the other from around Blake's waist.

"Good as new!" Ruby called out.

"Sweet! Knew you could fix it!" Yang replied with a grin. When Blake reached for the weapon, Yang willingly gave it up so that her partner could look it over.

"Are you going to listen to me next time?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Yang replied facetiously, making Blake shake her head and lean back into Yang's shoulder with a hint of a smile. Unconcerned by duo's continued affection, Ruby turned to Weiss with a big grin.

"Ready?"

"Absolutely," Weiss replied with her own smile, but surely hers looked paltry compared to the megawatt beam Ruby was sending back to her.

"Aw man - do we need to take you back to the hospital?"

The sun dialed down a few notches when Ruby turned to Yang in confusion. "What? Why?"

"To have that hanger removed from your mouth!" Yang teased, pointing to Ruby's nonstop smile. "I told you those aren't toys!"

"Ha ha," Ruby replied while a soft blush dusted her cheeks. The smile dimmed only momentarily, but cranked back to full power the instant Ruby refocused on Weiss and gestured towards the backyard. "Shall we?"

Nodding her acceptance, Weiss followed Ruby to the back of the house - pausing only for Ruby to collect Crescent Rose along the way.

"Have funnnn," Yang called out after them.

After stepping through the door that Ruby held open for her, it only took two fleeting glances for Weiss to remember the conversation they'd had moments earlier. Would Ruby bring up the subject again? Would she ask a second time - if only to gain more clarity?

The prospect made Weiss' skin tingle in anticipation. Now that she knew it _could_ come up, she could give a more appropriate response, right? Although, she still wasn't sure how Ruby felt about her...

"Are you gonna call in Myrtenaster?" Ruby asked, breaking Weiss out of her thoughts.

"I can." Turning to the side as they stepped out onto the porch, the two of them briefly locked eyes - sending Weiss' chest aflutter with butterflies. "How about...over here…" she muttered while nodding towards the edge of the yard.

Walking over to a spot that was out of the way, she used her scroll to summon her locker to that location. Several seconds of silence passed before a whistling caught her attention, followed immediately by a loud _thunk_ as the heavy locker landed in front of her - Myrtenaster waiting inside.

Retrieving her weapon, she spun it in one hand while rejoining Ruby in the center of the yard.

"I should warn you that I'll be a much more formidable opponent this time," she teased as they positioned themselves several paces away from each other. "Don't expect an easy battle."

She'd been taking better care of herself - eating more regularly and finding it easier to sleep - however, based on what Blake and Yang had just told her, this fight might be even shorter-lived than the first. A girl could dream though…

Letting out an adorable giggle, Ruby looked up from the grass and blushed - which only made Weiss blush in return.

"I don't expect it to be easy!" Ruby quipped while fiddling with Crescent Rose - the weapon as yet unfolded.

Something was off, but Weiss took a few steps backward and held Myrtenaster out in front of her.

"Are you ready?"

Weiss was prepared, yet Ruby made no motion to prepare Crescent Rose for battle. Instead, she glanced at Weiss with that same goofy grin before blushing deeper and looking at the ground.

"Alright, what's going on?" Weiss finally asked as she blushed yet again in response to Ruby's red cheeks.

The question captured Ruby's full attention and a healthy dose of clearly-feigned obliviousness.

"What? Nothing's going on - I'm just glad you're here! And uh...I think you're awesome," Ruby replied bashfully, sending Weiss' cheeks to a deep scarlet in an instant.

There was a flurry of wings in her stomach unlike anything she'd felt in a long time - and, even if she tried, she couldn't keep a smile from her lips. Being complimented by Ruby was one of the best feelings in the entire world.

"Well...I think you're awesome too," Weiss responded, succeeding in making Ruby light up with joy.

"Yeah? You know, I kinda thought we could spend more time together! Training or just...ya know, spending time together."

When Weiss opened her mouth to reply, Ruby rushed onward.

"I mean, not like you've gotta be on our team, officially, but maybe when you're not busy with work we can hang out? Or, you know, go out? To dinner again?"

It sounded like Ruby was asking Weiss if they could spend all of their free time together - which would be wonderful.

But...would Ruby still want Weiss's company if her true identity was revealed? Would their current friendship be destroyed by the secret Weiss had kept between them?

"Absolutely," she replied regardless, flashing a small smile while nerves tripled in her veins. "If you still want to spend time together after this weekend, of course I'd love to."

"Why would this weekend change anything?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Because...your partner could be there, right? I think that you should meet her first, then see how you feel."

Hearing the words, Ruby's face fell into a more thoughtful expression while staring down at her gloved hand.

"I guess...but I already know she's not gonna be as amazing as you!"

A surge of conflicting emotions ran through Weiss when silver eyes reached out to her - drawing her into the apparent truth behind that statement.

But was it true? Could nothing change Ruby's opinion of her? What if she told Ruby that they were one and the same person - that Weiss _was_ Ruby's partner. That she was the one who'd been away all this time?

"About that…" Weiss began, licking her suddenly dry lips and struggling to hear over the pounding of her heart in her ears. Listening carefully, Ruby patiently waiting for whatever would come next.

This would be a good moment to tell Ruby the truth - as good as any. They could get it out in the open right now, and then Ruby could decide if she wanted Weiss to go to Beacon with the rest of the team. Ruby could also decide if she wanted Weiss to continue being a part of their lives.

Weiss could tell Ruby now and get it out of the way.

I'm your partner.

"I...really hope she shows up," Weiss sputtered, her anxiety collapsing into disappointment. "If she doesn't, she doesn't deserve to be on your team."

"I hope she comes too! But if not, no big deal. I bet she's got a busy life! I'm just happy she's still out there somewhere."

Through the grin, Weiss could tell that Ruby wasn't being entirely honest about it not being a big deal. But they both pretended it was the truth. It was easier that way.

If Ruby's partner didn't show up at the Invite, Weiss could spend the days and weeks after solidifying what felt like the beginning of a new relationship. Short of Ruby miraculously regaining all of the memories that had been lost, this was the best case scenario.

On the other hand, Weiss could tell Ruby about their past and hope that she would forgive Weiss' lack of honesty. Ruby might be upset or even angry that Weiss took advantage of the situation in order to become friends under false pretenses. Maybe Ruby would even ask Weiss to leave - to leave them all alone, for good this time.

How would Weiss ever tell the truth if a big part of her wanted the past to stay hidden forever?

Hearing a set of heavy footsteps on the porch, she turned and found Blake and Yang standing here. Blake played with the ribbon attached to Gambol Shroud while Yang casually spun the shells in Ember Celica, grinning all the while.

"Mind if we join?" Blake asked.

When the pair hopped onto the grass and strolled over, Weiss' adrenaline began pumping in anticipation of the question she _knew_ Yang would pose next.

"How 'bout we two v two?"

A few days ago, Weiss would've been extremely hesitant to fight against Yang - mostly because she somewhat valued her life now. But when Yang smiled at her today there was no hidden malice, only excitement and anticipation.

How long had it been since the four of them sparred together?

"Handicaps?" Weiss asked in acceptance of their proposal.

"Oooooh...Weiss needs some spice in her life!" Yang sang happily. "How about one?" Turning to Blake for confirmation, Yang received it with a nod and a sly grin.

"I have one too - only Weiss can knock us out."

"Yesss - I like it!"

Yang and Blake shared a high five while Weiss narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Handicaps?" Ruby asked.

"We can create one rule they have to follow during the fight," Weiss explained. "It helps even things out."

"But nothing too disabling," Blake added. "It should make the battle difficult, but not impossible."

In Blake and Yang's case, they'd eliminated their biggest threat by not allowing Ruby to knock them out of the battle. Even if Ruby landed a great combination, she'd have to find a way to get Weiss in position for the final blow. It was a great strategy - and one that would force Weiss and Ruby to have impeccable timing and teamwork in order to succeed. Which wouldn't be as much of an issue if Ruby hadn't forgotten the years of training they'd gone through...

"Oh!" Ruby gasped. "How about Yang can only use half of Ember?"

Thinking about the suggestion, Weiss pursed her lips and shook her head. "We want to affect both of them if we can."

"Oh, um...oh, I got it!" Ruby exclaimed while turning towards her sister. "How about...they can't touch each other."

Ruby's suggestion wiped the smile right off of Yang's face. Blake managed to maintain an indifferent expression, but her left ear twitched once in surprise. Both reactions made Weiss grin in satisfaction.

"Brilliant," she said with a nod, leaning over to nudge Ruby's shoulder and earning a beaming smile in return.

"Do my ribbons count?" Blake asked while calmly running one end through her fingers.

"Yup! And if you break the rule, you have to separate by ten feet before fighting again!" Ruby proclaimed proudly.

With a disappointed expression, Blake turned and shrugged at Yang.

"Think you can do it?"

Still dumbfounded by the notion, Yang managed to crank up her confidence in a heartbeat.

"Of course I can do it!"

From the way Blake rolled her eyes, she believed that statement as much as Weiss did.

Of the four of them, Yang was by _far_ the most tactile. On top of that, her need for physical affection from Blake bordered on obsessively-compulsive levels. Weiss couldn't remember a single instance where Yang hadn't gratuitously given Blake a high five, a hug, a pat on the back, a kiss on the cheek, a real kiss, or an all-out bear hug tackle into the grass.

It was an excellent suggestion for more reasons than simply making Yang uncomfortable - although that alone would be a good enough for Weiss. Strategically, Yang wasn't the most nimble of fighters outside of a certain circumference, but Blake's ribbons allowed her to turn and pivot on a dime. Taking away their ability to interact with each other would force Yang to be more one dimensional. And from Blake's standpoint...well, one of the last things Weiss wanted to see tonight was a hundred pounds of ninja Faunus flying at her like a bullet. And Yang loved to throw Blake, for whatever reason...

"Ok, but if anyone breaks the fences, they automatically lose," Yang remarked while she and Blake backed towards the other side of the yard. "I'm _not_ fixing those again."

"We need to get Blake first," Weiss whispered to Ruby, even though she knew Blake could overhear their plan. "If it gets any darker, she'll be impossible to see."

With less light, it would be increasingly challenging to differentiate Blake from her clones, paving the way for some devastating surprise attacks.

Ruby nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful.

"I can't earn the kill, but does that mean you can't use Crescent Rose?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the suspicious question.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just be ready to catch her."

Internally, Weiss groaned. If Ruby had regained even 80% of her strength, she could throw a dart - and Crescent Rose was _heavy_. They'd tried this before, many times - it was like trying to catch a cannonball with a razor blade attached to one end. How many times had Weiss nearly been decapitated?

At least these rules were relatively reasonable - they'd gotten a little absurd at Beacon. Once, they'd fought with the other pair's weapons and no semblances allowed. Thankfully, Ruby took Ember Celica. Weiss had been moderately concerned she'd lose both of her hands to the gauntlets - although she hadn't fared any better with Gambol Shroud. That weapon had a mind of its own...and it didn't seem to like that anyone other than Blake was using it. Neither had Blake.

In their few moments of preparation, Weiss scanned the surroundings to formulate a better idea of how the battle might unfold. The backyard wasn't very large - a definite advantage for Yang and her close quarters combat. The woods would be a problem if Blake got too close...as would the darkening evening sky.

To be honest, this scenario played out much more favorably for Blake and Yang than it did for Weiss and Ruby. However, if what they said about Ruby was right, what the terrain lacked in obvious advantage would be made up for solely by her whirlwind presence.

"Are you ready?" Blake asked, standing with both blades held down at her sides.

"Born ready!" Ruby quipped before turning to Weiss for confirmation. Holding Myrtenaster out in front of her, she took a slow, even breath and nodded. No sooner had she done so did Yang shoot forward like there were rockets on her feet. Ruby immediately moved to engage her sister while Blake flipped over both of them and sprinted to Weiss.

Weiss hadn't thought of this until right now, but if Ruby wasn't allowed to earn a kill, Blake and Yang won by default if they knocked Weiss out. Therefore...both of them would rush Weiss and only needed to hold Ruby at bay in order to win.

This was why they'd stopped letting Blake suggest handicaps...

The first wave of shadow clones forced Weiss to focus solely upon Blake and trust that Ruby would do enough to hold Yang's attention.

Creating maximum confusion, Blake summoned a set of clones encircling Weiss before disappearing somewhere above her head. Knowing better than to remain in place, Weiss picked one of the clones and charged into it - only to stumble back in shock when the 'clone' started attacking with a very real blade.

Deflecting the first two attacks, Weiss tried to catch Blake with a glyph, but only managed to catch a clone. Spinning around on instinct, Weiss raised Myrtenaster and deflected Gambol before parrying away from a second attack which may or may not have been real.

It had been a while since she'd needed to pick out clones under pressure, and she'd lost of bit of the finesse required. Of course, this weakness had already been identified by Blake - who drew more and more clones in all directions to force Weiss onto the defensive. The dark figures swirled through the air, each one appearing faster than the last as it suddenly felt like Weiss was fighting against one hundred versions of Blake instead of one.

Until she could determine which ones were nothing more than shadows, she would have to react to each incoming blow.

Or she could freeze them out.

Whipping Myrtenaster through the air, she sent streams of ice shooting in every direction. The motion caught a round of clones while a blur of black slipped behind her. Repeating the process and clearing another set of clones, she then brought Myrtenaster quickly to her side to deflect an incoming blade with a loud _clang_.

As quickly as Blake had appeared, she disappeared - leaving only a copy of herself behind.

Barely catching a whiff of a strong burning smell, a dash of rose petals and strong arms wrapped around Weiss' waist and abruptly dragged her away from the new set of scorch marks marring the grass where she'd just stood.

"You ok?" Ruby asked breathlessly, not pausing for an answer before sprinting back to their opponents - who'd seamlessly grouped together after Yang's surprise attack.

Ruby was moving _fast_ \- fast enough to prevent Blake from catapulting over to Weiss while also holding Yang at bay.

Now Weiss could see what they'd been afraid of - Ruby was a handful for both of them, especially at the speed she was moving. They were actually losing ground to the red blur - forced to take steps back to defend while Ruby blazed between them, knocking their weapons out of position while consistently preventing Blake from leaping away.

Suddenly, the battle shifted.

Blake had been looking for a way to circumvent the battle and make it back to Weiss, but seamlessly gave up her quest as both she and Yang tunneled in on Ruby. The change was so abrupt Ruby might not have noticed it yet, but both girls were now using their strategic attacks to subtly slide apart and double back to surround Ruby on both sides.

It had been wordlessly decided between the two that, even if it was more difficult, they needed to get rid of Ruby first. She was too much of a menace for them to take the easy route of double-teaming Weiss for a quick win.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss plunged back into the battle to help her partner. First - she would aim for Blake.

A sheet of ice cut through the battle and separated Blake from Yang, allowing Weiss to engage the Faunus independently for a split second. Their weapons clanged together with three quick blows before Blake leapt in the air and propelled the heels of her boots towards Weiss' chest. Tumbling to the side to avoid the attack, Weiss watched Blake fluidly flip around to land on her feet while one end of Gambol went whizzing past Weiss' head.

To Yang.

As soon as Yang caught the weapon, Blake cursed under her breath and jumped back without pulling Yang to her.

It was a fortunate turn of events. If that move had been successful, Weiss would've found herself in the middle of a dangerous sandwich that there was no feasible way she could defend against.

Setting a series of glyphs - designed to disrupt Yang's rhythm as she was forced to dodge around them - Weiss sped forward to engage Blake one-on-one with renewed confidence. At one point in time, they'd been evenly matched regardless of their diverse skill sets, but Blake had spent the last year training and going on hunts, while Weiss had not.

But Weiss had Ruby on her side. And the longer the battle drew out, the more assured she became in Ruby's abilities. They could win this. For one, fewer clones were showing up - Blake had either abandoned the idea or was conserving energy. This meant that Blake was willing to put their swordsmanship to the test, which Weiss was always willing to do.

A swirling set of aerial attacks was easily dodged using a glyph. And, before Blake's feet could return to the ground, Weiss removed solid footing with a perfectly-placed glyph. Blake only momentarily lost her balance, during which time Weiss managed to land a blow to one of Blake's legs.

While the average person would've hit the ground when one of their legs was swept out from underneath them, Blake smoothly corrected her fall into a tumble and used the forward momentum to launch herself into Weiss' face. Surprised by the emboldened attack, Weiss sidestepped and felt her balance momentarily slip as Myrtenaster dropped out of position. It was in this moment of weakness that Blake's blade flashed towards her - ready and willing to take advantage of the mistake.

A loud crack and ping echoed through the air as a sniper bullet tore between them, caught Gambol, and shoved the blade to the side at the last second. Ruby's help created just enough time for Weiss to correct herself and deflect Blake's seamless follow-up while simultaneously regaining her own balance.

Off to the side, someone yelped in surprise right before a cloud of petals shot towards Blake and a giant scythe appeared out of nowhere. Unprepared for the sudden onslaught, Blake's attention shifted for a split second - just enough time for Weiss to attack before the moment passed.

The break was miniscule - and she could already feel Yang bearing down on them. As Ruby disappeared to head off her sister, Weiss summoned a complex series of glyphs surrounding Blake - leaping off one at her feet and pinging through the rest

She was searching for the best one. The one that was perfectly aimed and timed and - this one.

Planting her feet squarely on the surface, Weiss launched herself off of the glyph and slammed into Blake with one shoulder - knocking her from her feet. When the two of them hit the ground, Weiss heard the air leave Blake's lungs in an audible _whoosh_. Breathless or not, Weiss felt Blake preparing to counterattack, but not before Weiss managed to level Myrtenaster to the girl's neck.

There was a momentary pause as amber eyes glinted up at her - the rest of the battle screeching to a halt as Blake silently surrendered. Weiss didn't hold her weapon at Blake's neck for long - only long enough to establish a victory before withdrawing. Any longer would risk Yang flying into a version of rage no one wanted to see...as there was nothing Yang hated more than someone looking remotely close to injuring Blake, even if it was only for show.

Jumping to her feet, Weiss quickly found Ruby and moved over to her - allowing them to face Yang together.

As usual, Yang didn't look at all perturbed by the change in circumstances.

"Can Blake and I touch now?" she asked calmly.

"Uh, sure?"

As soon as Ruby replied, Yang walked over to Blake, lifted her easily off the ground and gave her a long kiss - long enough that Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

"Should we wait?" Ruby whispered. Weiss laughed, but it came out a little more like a wheeze than she would have liked. The momentary pause was a good opportunity for her to regain her breath, while it looked like Yang was happy to deplete hers.

"We don't have all night, ya know!" Ruby finally called out to her sister. Only then did Yang release Blake and turn around.

"Ok Weiss," Yang said, pounding her fists together with a crunch that made Weiss wince. "I'm comin' for you now!"

Sliding in front of Weiss, Ruby raised Crescent Rose.

"You're gonna have to get through me first!" she proclaimed, the words causing Weiss to beam at Ruby's back.

How cute.

Grinning, Yang walked coolly over to the edge of the yard where the weapon locker was still sitting. With one smooth pull, she yanked the heavy object out of the ground and clutched it in her hands.

"Fine by me."

Ruby and Weiss dove in opposite directions as the metal torpedo flew over them and crashed loudly into the woods. While Weiss scrambled to regain her feet, a fist slammed into the ground with enough force to send a tremor through her bones, missing her head by only a few inches. A few inches created by the pull of Crescent Rose at the last second.

Feeling an immediate surge of urgency, Weiss used a series of glyphs to send Yang flying backward - just enough to give them some breathing room.

The distance was only temporary. Weiss had barely flipped back to her feet by the time Yang came roaring back - deflecting all of Ruby's lightning-quick attacks. The loud clang of metal hitting metal echoed through the air as both girls engaged in the deadliest version of hand-to-hand combat, with neither willing to cede an inch of ground unless it was earned with a punishingly-successful blow.

Knowing better than to jump into the fray, Weiss picked out all of Yang's miniscule weak spots and sent wave after wave of ice in an attempt to slow the girl down. At the same instant, she created random sequences of glyph traps - trying to funnel Yang into Ruby's attacks at precisely the right moment. With Ruby dashing back and forth in response to Yang's constant attacks, Weiss was worried she might accidentally hit her partner, but somehow Ruby moved out of the way just in time.

It was two against one - and left alone at a distance Weiss was able to dictate the direction of the battle - but Yang was building energy too quickly. Each passing second inched them closer and closer to the end of the fight, where Yang would explode with more force than they might be able to handle. They needed to end the fight quickly. And to do that they needed to somehow knock Yang off balance - away from her rhythm, she'd be easier to defeat.

Weiss could catch Yang off guard, but she needed Ruby to get out of the way in time. And she needed to trust that Ruby would understand what to do next.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out before focusing her energy, tossing Myrtenaster into the air beside her, and using a glyph to shoot the weapon straight at the combating huntresses. Barely glancing over her shoulder, Ruby hopped out of the way of the speeding bullet while Yang ducked under it at the last possible second.

But Ruby had already reappeared on the opposite side of Yang and swung Crescent Rose with all her might - letting go and sending the blade cutting through the air with deadly power. Yang was forced to hit the ground in order to avoid the weapon - all while Ruby caught Myrtenaster, spun the weapon in her hands, and used up the cartridge of blue Dust sending a block of ice towards Yang's leg.

As Crescent Rose spun towards her, Weiss quickly summoned her soldier to catch the weapon - but he wasn't necessary at all. Crescent Rose jarred to a halt in midair before shooting back towards Ruby - Thorn directing weapon's course.

Grinning when she realized what Ruby was going to do next, Weiss released Ronnie and summoned a glyph under her feet and another one out of Yang's view.

With her concentration fully on Crescent Rose, deflecting the weapon out of the air to protect herself, Yang hadn't caught sight of the glyph rotating above her right shoulder.

Even after Yang knocked Crescent Rose away, Ruby summoned the weapon again - causing another abrupt course change that refused to be deterred. Meanwhile, Ruby tossed Myrtenaster in a high arc through the air while Weiss bent her knees and sprang off of the glyph under her feet.

For a brief second, as Myrtenaster seemed to fall in slow motion, Weiss was weaponless.

Weaponless and rocketing towards Yang Xiao Long.

Yang sensed the disturbance but was forced to re-engage Ruby with Crescent Rose now in hand. Meanwhile, Weiss pivoted, coiled her legs, hit the second glyph and shot towards Yang - catching Myrtenaster out of the air as she did so.

At the last possible second, Yang spun and raised her arms to deflect Weiss at the same instant Ruby flew past - dragging Crescent Rose underneath Yang's feet. Somehow, even while falling, Yang managed to grab ahold of Weiss' arms and lock tight. The two of them hit the ground a split second later, with Yang landing on her back and her arms still rigidly propping Weiss up in the air.

Myrtenaster was a scant few millimeters from Yang's neck - if Weiss could move, they would win.

But she couldn't move, and Yang knew it.

"Told ya I'd get ya," Yang huffed through deep breaths, grinning before a giant silver sword appeared at her neck - the last of Weiss' energy being used to bring Ronnie back into the fold. The barrel of Crescent Rose appeared on the other side of Yang an instant later - three deadly weapons dampening Yang's grin ever so slightly.

"Soo...tie?" Yang asked, making Weiss narrow her eyes and open her mouth to argue based on the circumstances. Before she got out a single word, however, Ruby squealed in delight.

"We tied? That's so awesome!"

Hearing Ruby's happiness, Weiss couldn't find the resolve to dispute the outcome.

"Tie," she begrudgingly agreed, the word convincing Yang to release her and allow her to regain her feet. Reaching down, Weiss offered Yang a hand and pulled her off the ground while allowing Ronnie to disappear into the night sky.

"We tied, Weiss!" Ruby called out. Sweeping over, she wrapped both arms around Weiss' waist, lifted her in the air and spun her around in a circle. "Can you believe it?"

Instantly forgetting her annoyance with the draw, Weiss smiled down at Ruby while the girl held her up in the air - just as jubilant as the times when they'd beaten their teammates fair and square. Reaching down, Weiss gently brushed her fingers from Ruby's temple, down her jawline, and curled them lovingly underneath her chin.

Immediately realizing what she'd just done, Weiss retracted her hand while her face burned in embarrassment. Thankfully, Ruby set her back on the ground with nothing more than a huge grin - not seeming to have noticed the rather intimate gesture.

"Congratulations, you two," Blake commented with a slight tilt of her head and an amused smile while walking over to join them. "That was quite the finish."

"Yeah, congrats on _tying_ , Weiss," Yang added with a smirk, knowing full well how much the word would irk her. "Isn't it great when a good fight ends in a _draw_? I mean, that way no one wins! There are _no_ winners here tonight."

Rolling her eyes, Blake gently jabbed an elbow into Yang's side to halt her teasing.

"I think there's a weapon locker out in the woods you need to get," Blake pointed out, nodding towards the ever-darkening patch of trees.

"Yeah, yeah…" Yang grumbled before jogging over to the woods and disappearing into the trees in search of the wayward locker.

"I can't believe we tied! That was so much fun! Can we do that again? Please?"

Blake chuckled at Ruby's enthusiasm while Yang reappeared from the trees, dragging Weiss' locker behind her. Bringing it over to them, Yang slammed it into the ground so it would stand upright before tapping the slightly broken door hinge a couple of times.

"Don't worry, I know someone who can fix this for you," Yang commented. Ruby piped in with "I can fix that right now!" before speeding over to look at the damage.

Weiss sent Yang a glare for her pleased smile. "You're lucky your sister is useful."

"Got it! See, that was an easy fix!" Ruby called out almost immediately.

"Thank you," Weiss replied, giving Ruby a warm smile before placing Myrtenaster inside and sending the weapon home.

"Can I just point out that it was _Blake_ who couldn't keep her hands off of me?" Yang said happily. "And here you all thought _I'd_ be the one breaking that rule...showed you guys! I don't _always_ need to be touching Blake!"

"That'd be much more convincing if you'd let go of Blake's hand now," Weiss pointed out, calling Yang's bluff. Looking down at their joined hands, Yang shook her head.

"Naw, see I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because Blake _wants_ me to hold her hand!"

When Ruby and Weiss both shared looks of disbelief, Blake merely smiled and tugged Yang towards the house.

"Let's get you inside before you say anything else," Blake joked before her eyes found Weiss. "Weiss, are you sticking around?"

"Oh...I should probably head home. I'd love to stay, but...I have a busy day tomorrow."

This time the words were true, and not just an excuse to leave Ruby's presence. Weiss didn't want to go, but there were several reports she needed to thoroughly examine before presenting them tomorrow. And then there was that little issue of mentally preparing herself for the Invite...

"Ah...then thank you for the pleasant match."

"Oh yeah, tons of fun!" Yang chipped in with a grin. "But next time you aren't suckering me into that trick!"

Giggling, Ruby watched her housemates head towards the house before turning to Weiss and offering, "I'll walk you out?"

Nodding, Weiss willingly walked into the house with Ruby - the two of them shoulder-to-shoulder until Weiss was forced to trail Ruby through the narrow hallway.

"That was so awesome how you shot Myrtenaster off a glyph!" Ruby said, glancing over one shoulder with a big grin. "And then the way you caught Yang by surprise - so awesome…"

From her tone - not at all breathless - Ruby seemed to have fully recovered from the whirlwind of a battle already. Meanwhile, Weiss could still feel her heart hammering in her chest while her breathing slowly returned to normal. As out of practice as she was, her recovery time must've dramatically increased. Whereas her teammates were probably prepared for another battle right this moment, Weiss would need several more minutes before she'd be fully capable of another fight.

This was where practice and conditioning played a vital role in their lives. She could easily get her stamina back up with time...and maybe that was an effort worth focusing some of her energy towards.

When Ruby opened the front door and stepped out into the cool nighttime air, Weiss suddenly realized how much she didn't want to leave. If she didn't have familial obligations to fulfill, she'd stay here for as long as she was welcome - enjoying these moments of shared happiness before everything might yet again be thrown into chaos.

"Thank you for coming over!" Ruby chirped, not suffering from growing regret like Weiss currently was.

"No, thank you. I had a wonderful time."

"Me too! Fighting with you is super cool. Like I loved keeping track of you _and_ Yang _and_ Blake. It made everything so much more hectic!"

"Hectic is one way of phrasing it…"

"Hectic and amazing!" Ruby continued. "I'd fight by your side any day!"

In the face of Ruby's grin, Weiss had no choice but to smile.

"I'd be happy to have you by my side," she answered softly, dipping her head to mask her warming cheeks while Ruby briefly glanced away before turning back with shining silver eyes.

"So...if you're busy tomorrow, I guess I'll see you next for the Invite?"

"Yes. Yes, you will," Weiss answered, unable to match the wide grin Ruby responded with.

That single word was enough to send Weiss' pulse skyrocketing. As was the way Ruby was looking at her right now - like nothing else in the world existed outside of the two of them. Goosebumps raised on Weiss' arms when Ruby took a step forward into her personal space, making it their own.

Lifting one hand, Ruby tucked a strand of hair behind Weiss' ear and smiled - a heart-melting smile that made Weiss temporarily forget everything else.

"Goodnight, Weiss," Ruby said quietly. "I can't wait to see you again!"

Eyes sparkling cheerfully in the budding moonlight, Ruby dropped her hand and took one step away before running inside the house, leaving Weiss frozen to the step. Her heart pounded like wild now, still imagining that smile...

What just happened? Whatever it was, it felt...very affectionate. Not that Weiss was in anyway opposed to the intimacy, but where had it come from? Did it have anything to do with Ruby's question from earlier in the night - asking if Weiss was romantically interested in anyone?

The answers to these questions were so important, yet she'd run out of time to find them.

The Invite was in a matter of days. Why couldn't it be next month - or next week even? Something was stirring between her and Ruby, but without the opportunity to fully deduce what it was...

She had half a mind to call JNPR and force them back into competing - if only in hopes that Beacon would uninvite her own team. But, realistically, it was too late for such plans. Ruby would want to go regardless.

Resigned to this complicated situation with no easy answers, Weiss turned towards the street and sighed into the darkness.

"Weiss."

She barely prevented herself from crying out in surprise when a figure emerged from the shadows of the house and stepped towards her. A second later, Blake moved into the moonlight and gave Weiss an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to talk to you before you left," Blake explained, folding her arms across her chest in the cold. "I was hoping I could make you feel better about the Invite."

"I already promised Ruby I'd go," Weiss answered, placing one hand to her heart and feeling it pulse quickly underneath her fingertips as she attempted to calm down from the fright Blake had just given her.

"Good," Blake said with a nod. "But beyond just going, you should really consider telling her." Reading the instant reaction of uncertainty, Blake continued before Weiss could say anything. "You aren't the only one she forgot..."

That comment made Weiss pause before speaking out, her remorse building as she understood what Blake was trying to say. So much attention was focused on how Ruby's injuries affected Weiss, and how they affected Yang, that very little recognition was paid to the fact that Blake had been erased from Ruby's memories, as well.

"I lost one of my best friends that day," Blake said quietly, dropping her gaze to the ground. "Well, two, really. And it changed Yang more than she'll ever admit."

When amber eyes glinted back up at Weiss, the emotions were hidden away in a heartbeat.

"For a long time, I was nothing more than Yang's girlfriend. It didn't matter that we used to discuss books and weapons together - whenever Ruby needed someone to talk to, she always turned to Yang. Just like you, I had to start at the beginning and become her friend again. I had to worry about whether or not she'd like me or even accept me in her life. And with my past...I had to start over too, Weiss. From the beginning."

"I'm -"

"Please don't say you're sorry," Blake interrupted, shaking her head and giving Weiss a small smile. "I don't want an apology. I want you to know that Ruby's been down this path before. I became her friend without telling her about the past. It wasn't until much later that Yang and I sat down with her and explained who I really was. I was so nervous...but she listened to what we needed to say before asking any questions. And, at the end of everything, she turned to me with this big smile and said 'I always knew you were special.'"

Blake smiled fondly at the memory, and Weiss thought she could almost see tears glisten in the girl's eyes - but as quickly as the emotion had appeared, it was gone.

"You should tell her the truth...because you aren't planning on it, are you?"

Frowning, Weiss turned away from Blake's knowing eyes. How was it that Blake always seemed to know exactly what Weiss planned to do? Even when she hadn't yet made a decision, Blake somehow guessed which direction she was leaning towards.

"Yang expects you to tell her," Blake added.

"Why would she expect that?"

"Because...Ruby is excited to go back. She's excited to meet her partner. If there was ever a time to tell her, it would be now."

"I don't think I'm ready..." Weiss admitted.

"How often have we been ready for something? We've always had to jump before we were prepared. That's part of life, Weiss."

Weiss allowed the silence to expand while she thought about Blake's words. Sure, they'd often been unprepared for the tasks they were given, but when dealing with a matter as important as this...where Ruby's emotions and their future relationship with each other was at stake...

"And it's the right thing to do," Blake added, immediately making Weiss sigh out loud. Blake and the 'right' thing to do. She could teach a class on doing the right thing.

"When am I even supposed to tell her? The Invite is practically tomorrow."

"Tell her at Beacon. I'm sure you two can slip away for a few minutes."

"But…"

"What better place than where this all began?"

When Weiss failed to respond, Blake watched her - reading cues she didn't know she was giving. Whatever answer Blake found in Weiss' demeanor made her sigh.

"Please consider it. Promise me you'll at least do that?"

"I promise," Weiss replied easily. Considering her options would probably be _all_ she did for the next twenty-four hours.

Going back to Beacon would be a struggle in and of itself. If it was questionable whether or not she could handle walking through the campus, how could she possibly broach the topic of being partners with Ruby?

Nodding in acceptance of the mediocre promise, Blake's eyes flitted briefly to the side before returning to Weiss.

"Weiss, I've been meaning to tell you that I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"After everything that happened," Blake began, looking uncomfortable with the words. "We were so concerned about Ruby that we didn't…"

Sighing, Blake finally looked Weiss squarely in the eyes.

"We should've made sure you were handling things well."

A small scoff slipped out at the unexpected apology while Weiss crossed her arms over her chest against the cold.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I was -"

"Fine?" Blake interrupted right when the word was on the tip of Weiss' tongue, her arched eyebrow saying that she already knew it was a lie.

"Believe me, I know all about being 'fine,'" Blake said quietly, taking a step back towards the house. "But now that you're back, we're going to make sure you really are 'fine.' Don't think you'll be able to slip away from us again - we'll come looking for you next time. And it won't be just Yang and me."

With a knowing smile, Blake opened the door.

"I'll see you soon," she said before disappearing inside and softly shutting the door behind her.

Tears immediately sprang into Weiss' eyes, and she could do nothing to prevent them. Instead, she rushed away from the house to seek much-needed privacy within the confines of her ride back to her temporary living quarters. Turning on the engine and leaving the small house behind, she took deep breaths while contending with her thoughts.

Growing up, it was always her against the world - or her and Winter against the world. When she got to Beacon, everything changed. It wasn't always her against the world. There were people who cared enough about her that they would look after her. In return, she would do anything in her power to be there when they needed her.

She would do anything for her teammates - they were her family. But telling Ruby the truth...she didn't know if that was a risk she was willing to take.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed! I really appreciate all the support for this story! You're definitely encouraging me to write more :D**

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The moon rose and set, just like the sun. It waxed and waned, just like the sun. But somehow the sun got all the glory! How did that happen? Nights would be really dark without the moon. Well, days would _also_ be really dark without the sun...but they played the same roles, only for different times of the day.

 _Basically_ , the moon was way underrated. Maybe Ruby was biased - she probably was - but the moon was _way_ better than the sun. For one, she could look directly at it without destroying her eyes. It didn't burn when it was too hot outside. And its presence was reassuring, especially when she was outside by herself like this morning.

No matter how early it was and no matter how few people were awake, it was impossible to feel lonely when the moon shone down on her - lighting the yard in a soft blue glow.

Maybe the rest of the world was still asleep, but she was awake. The moon was awake with her. And Crescent Rose...Crescent Rose was definitely awake. Her weapon sliced through the air, following intricate patterns hardly visible to the untrained observer. At least, they _shouldn't_ be visible if Ruby was moving fast enough.

Left, right, left, right, cycle, jab, pull. Repeat.

With every swipe came a soft _shing_ as Crescent Rose cut through the morning air. The sound was joined by her deep breathing, inhales and exhales forcing through her lungs while her mind demanded more and more from her body.

Dark clouds were rolling in from the south, but the moon was still crisp and bright on its way towards the horizon. It looked like a storm was brewing - a good explanation for the chilly breezes blowing through the backyard - but she should be done before the rain hit.

Left, right, spin, kick, repeat.

Last night hadn't been so great in the sleep department. Between nightmares, she'd gotten maybe a couple of hours of restless rolling around while trying to get comfortable - which, for some reason, had been impossible to do. Instead of lying in bed and trying to sleep when she knew she wouldn't be able to, she got up and headed outside to train.

She didn't have a watch on, so she didn't know how long ago that had been. An hour? Maybe two? All she knew was that she'd been outside long enough that the morning dew had soaked through the edges of her boots and drenched her socks. Wet socks were never fun, but sometimes being a huntress meant uncomfortable situations and damp clothing.

Gripping Crescent Rose harder in both hands, she spun herself around and swung downward - nearly putting the tip of the weapon into the ground before straining to pull up and turn right. On the next repetition, her brain wanted to ease up to conserve energy, but she forced herself to swing at full speed anyway. There'd be no slacking off today. If she was going to get better, she had to train at 100%. She had to go through every motion as if she was actually in the midst of battle.

But the weapon had grown heavier. And there was a dull ache in her left hand whenever she tried to squeeze too hard. It felt like her bones were older. Well, they literally _were_ older, but she could really feel it when she tried to swing Crescent Rose with the force she used to. Things just didn't _work_ like they once had.

It was a process though. 'Vale wasn't built in a day,' as Yang would say.

Moving on to the next pattern, Ruby swung left and right in rapid succession, trying to make the movements blend together. There shouldn't be a beginning or an end to either - each should smoothly disappear into the next. Fluid. If she was fast enough, it should look kind of like a sideways eight - the symbol for eternity.

Once upon a time, she'd been able to go through a hundred repetitions of each pattern before moving on. Not so today…

Flipping to the next exercise, she threw Crescent Rose over her shoulder before struggling to bring the weapon back to her front like a pickaxe about to be slammed to the ground. It took all of the muscles she had to swing with speed - and muscles she didn't have to do so without a small hitch appearing in the middle of the weapon's trajectory.

Gritting her teeth and trying again, the hitch grew more substantial while her stamina rapidly depleted towards zero. She shouldn't be this close to empty so soon...how had she already blown through her available strength?

'Don't get frustrated,' Blake's calm voice reminded her. 'Your movements are still stored in there somewhere - it's only your body that needs the chance to remember.'

That was the most frustrating part though! Ruby _knew_ how to do this stuff. And she knew how to do everything perfectly, but none of her limbs would cooperate right now. All they wanted to do was whine and complain and gripe about the struggle she was putting them through.

And they wanted to make her sweat. Man, did she sweat from the effort. It had already soaked through her clothes and now provided the added benefit of cooling her off whenever the breeze blew across her. There were also beads that flipped off the ends of her hair whenever she spun more vigorously. That was a cool effect, right? Sweat spraying off of her - just what everyone wanted to see.

When her left hand slipped off of Crescent Rose, nearly flinging the weapon towards the trees, she finally paused. Dropping the scythe unceremoniously onto the ground to remove the weight from her tired arms, she focused on steady inhales and exhales to collect her breath and slow her pounding heart.

Thirty seconds. She'd give herself thirty seconds before starting again. That was still twice her usual break, so she was being generous.

Huffing for air, she looked up at the moon and wiped the moisture from her brow. The clouds were crowding in and blocking sections of the moon from view, but she could still see the only part that mattered. Locking onto that small piece, Ruby felt her heart tighten in her chest as a wave of despair and longing swept through her.

"I'm trying…" she whispered, closing her eyes and wishing that her mom could be there with her. She might be too big or too old to be picked up anymore, but what she wouldn't give to be picked up in her mom's arms and swung around like she was a kid again.

But at least her mom could be with her in spirit...watching over her and sending encouragement from afar while she struggled to regain her feet.

At least she was trying. That was all she could do right now...and sometimes it felt like that would never be enough - like she needed a miracle instead.

Thirty seconds up, she gritted her teeth and picked up Crescent Rose with arms that might as well be made of lead. And Crescent Rose had been upgraded from 'very heavy weapon' to 'the heaviest weapon in all of Remnant.' If that wasn't discouraging enough, her left hand was so weak that it wouldn't fully close anymore.

That didn't mean she could stop though. She had to keep moving forward. What was her other option? To wallow in self-pity?

That didn't sound like something she wanted to do today or any day. Not that Yang would let her do that if she wanted to. The one time she'd _tried_ to give up, her sister sat on top of her and went through the plot of every horrible soap opera in existence until she'd been forced to flee her bed or risk permanent loss of sanity.

Wallowing wasn't an option, so she needed to press forward. No matter how painful. No matter how discouraging.

Set feet, position weapon, decide on a pattern, clench fists, swing. Up, left, spin - again. And again. Ignore the burning muscles. Ignore the strain in her joints that felt a split second from true pain. Ignore the increasing difficulty and focus on executing every single second flawlessly. Crisp slices, quick turns, seamless transitions.

The moon was disappearing and the sky was filling with clouds, but she soldiered on - struggling as her body fought against her. The first three patterns were easy. The next three wore on her. And she stopped at eight - when her hands refused to cooperate any longer.

Panting and exhausted, she planted the end of Crescent Rose in the ground and leaned against her weapon for support. Her legs felt wobbly. Her left hand ached and cramped from the effort of holding onto the grip for so long. Adding insult to injury - her head was starting to throb, like it did whenever she over-exerted herself.

It had never been this hard before…

Looking down at her damaged hand, she frowned while flexing and unflexing her fingers.

How many years had these injuries set her back? That workout - the one she hadn't been able to finish - used to be her warm up. And she hadn't even begun using her semblance yet - those moves would _really_ require some hand strength. Otherwise, she'd be throwing Crescent Rose through the fence again.

Her next breath hitched in her chest as she tried to push her growing frustration away. It just really sucked to _know_ how to do all these things, yet not be able to do them. How long would it be before she could work with Crescent Rose and not be in pain afterward? How long would it be before her hand healed? If it ever did, which she was beginning to think might never happen at all. How long, how long, how _long_ would it be this way?

Forming her left hand into a loose fist - watching her fingers curl together while a corresponding ache rolled through her arm - she sighed and turned her hand over.

She was fortunate. It was important to remember that. She was lucky that she even had a shot at working her way back to what she'd once been. It was going to be frustrating. It was going to be hard. It was going to be painful, long, exhausting...all of the above...but she was _lucky_.

When she blinked, two drops of water appeared on the back of her hand. At first, she thought they might be tears - until more quickly showed up. Pretty soon, the sky opened up and big drops splashed upon her, hitting her head, back, and shoulders while filling the air with the steady sound of rain falling in sheets across the yard.

If she hadn't already called her practice, she would've been forced to stop now. The rain would make it hard to hang onto Crescent Rose, even with the upgraded grip she'd recently added. Having a fancy grip wouldn't help much if her hand got too slippery. That's where hand strength played a huge role in a battle - hand strength she didn't have.

Using Crescent Rose for balance, she stood there while her clothes, hair, and boots were soaked with water. Droplets fell from the clumped ends of her hair. Puffing out a big breath, she sprayed the rain away from her face and watched droplets drip from her eyelashes. Beads of water collected on Crescent Rose - forming for only an instant before rushing down the weapon's handle and reaching the grass below.

After a hard workout, the cold water was rejuvenating - like it was washing everything away. Not just the sweat and grime she'd worked up, but also the frustration and disappointment creeping into her mind. There was no room for either of those feelings when all she could hear was the sound of rain as it hit the grass, the roof, the trees, and her. Falling in droves, it splashed and splashed and splashed but never caused any damage.

Closing her eyes and tilting her chin up, she focused on the cold drops of water hitting her face instead of the headache growing behind her eyes. There was no tension building along her scalp where the stitches had only recently fallen away. There was no pain creeping through her left arm and along the scar that was still a fresh pink. There were no aches in every other part of her body - overused and under-rested.

None of that was real. It was just her and the rain...nothing else.

Hearing the soft, rolling rumble of thunder, she opened her eyes. Wiping a wet sleeve across her equally wet brow, she found that the storm had fully settled in, the moon was gone, and she didn't have the energy or desire to stay outside any longer. So, with one big sigh, she picked up her weapon and trudged towards the house.

It was impossible not to feel disappointed with how little she'd accomplished. Compared to a few weeks ago, what she'd just done should be life-changing. But as her wounds healed, so too did her expectations of what she should be capable of. Maybe it wasn't fair, but the more she felt like _Ruby_ , the more she expected to be able to do the things _Ruby_ had done before.

Yet, she was slowed at every turn. And she hated doing things the slow way. Slow was no.

Leaving her wet boots on the porch, she dragged herself inside and dropped Crescent Rose onto the table by the door. Realizing that she was going to drip water all over the floor, she instead spooled up her semblance and blasted to her room.

It was supposed to keep the floors dry - which it did - but kind of sprayed the walls with water instead. Whoops. She'd have to clean that up later. Or just let it dry on its own…

Pulling a fresh set of clothes from the closet, she could just barely make out the sound of voices in the kitchen. Yang and Blake must be awake now, which meant Ruby had been outside long enough for the day to finally catch up with her. After taking a shower, she'd go out and join them for breakfast.

There was nothing like a steaming hot shower to work movement back into her stiffening muscles and joints. It wasn't until she felt the hot water that she realized how cold it had been outside. She'd definitely needed a little thawing out - and drying out.

By the time she left the bathroom behind, she was warm and dry except for her hair. Rubbing a towel vigorously through it, she shook her head and then decided that was good enough for the time being. At least it wasn't cold in the house, so having damp hair wouldn't be a huge issue. Plus, it would dry on its own pretty quick.

Standing in the center of her room wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, she thought about collapsing on her bed and sleeping until the afternoon. Just look at it...it looked so comfy and warm...and, if she could sleep, maybe her aches and pains would temporarily disappear. Maybe her nightmares would leave her alone this time.

Freaking nightmares. On the worst days, her subconscious chased her with scary Grimm or impossible battles that she lost over and over again. At one point in time, she thought that maybe her dreams held the key to her lost memories - as if they were trying to make it back into her mind while she slept.

She'd since given up on such foolish ideas, because her dreams were way too crazy to have happened in real life.

The bed was calling out to her - 'Rubyyy, Rubyyyyy' - as if it wanted her to finally give up and collapse into the fluffy covers. It'd be so easy to take a break and give herself some rest. She _had_ already been up for several hours and was pretty exhausted from both the workout and lack of sleep. She'd probably earned a good nap or two, or twenty.

But she couldn't go back to sleep yet - the day had only just begun! Even if she was tired and sore, there was so much she needed to accomplish today. With her morning practice already out of the way, she planned on reading while allowing her muscles time to heal themselves. She had stacks and stacks of books on Grimm and battle strategies that Yang had gotten for her. When she was physically exhausted from training, she studied. When she was mentally exhausted from studying, she trained.

Basically, she was always exhausted in some way, shape, or form.

Right now she was in the middle of a book on Nevermores - an entire book about one species of Grimm! And boy were they fascinating. They tended to be solitary creatures, but every once in a while they'd group together and form a giant mass of loud, screeching, deadly Grimm. No one could figure out the purpose, but if this happened near a settlement...the settlement had to move pronto.

A loud grumble in her stomach told her that she'd dawdled long enough, so she grabbed her study material off the desk and plodded from her room to the kitchen. The rain was really coming down now, the steady onslaught interspersed with claps of thunder. Without the sun, it was pretty gloomy outside, but the kitchen was well-lit and warm - and smelled fantastic.

"Good morning, Ruby!" Yang called out from the stove.

"Good morning," Ruby replied, stifling a yawn while she collapsed into a seat at the table and set the book down beside her. Blake turned around and smiled, but said nothing before returning her gaze to the pan she was currently handling.

"Finally teaching Blake how to make my special pancakes!" Yang explained proudly. "Gotta pass the torch someday!"

"Hopefully not any day soon," Blake muttered, frowning into the pan while removing a very well done pancake with the spatula.

"It's an art, dearest," Yang replied with a grin, tossing the pancake onto a plate and getting another spoonful of batter ready. "Here, let me show you again."

From the table, Ruby watched Yang and Blake work together at the stove. There were always a couple of inches between the two of them that seemed...fake. It was a weird feeling, and Ruby didn't know why she felt it was right, but it made her wonder if that space existed when she wasn't around. Were they trying to be considerate? Not that she would mind if they stood closer together - she understood that they were dating and dating people did all that cutesy stuff.

"How are you feeling?" Yang asked while waiting for the pancakes to cook. Leaning against the countertop and meeting Ruby's eyes, Yang somehow made the question seem nonchalant and casual even though she asked every single morning without fail. Was she recording the answers somewhere to track Ruby's progress? Could there be a notebook hidden in the house that was filled with notes on how Ruby felt that day?

"I'm ok," she answered, playing with the fork that had been left near her place setting. Sometimes she didn't feel like being more specific than that, but Yang always pressed for more details. "Little bit of a headache," she admitted while pulling over a plate of pancakes that had clearly been made by Yang earlier that morning. "Other than that, ok."

"What would you rate it?"

"A two," Ruby answered, grabbing a stack of buttery, fluffy pancakes and setting them in the middle of her plate.

Nodding at the small number, Yang seemed to mentally catalogue it before turning her attention back to the pan and quickly flipping the pancakes over.

It hadn't taken Ruby long to learn that anything over a four would increase Yang's level of concern, so those values were used very carefully. Not that it mattered - she'd tell her sister the truth even if she didn't want to.

After cutting up her pancakes and drowning them in syrup, Ruby took the first delicious bite and made a soft 'mmm' sound. There was nothing like homemade pancakes after a hard morning workout.

"And tada! See?"

Holding up a perfect pancake - fluffy tan in the center with a slightly browned edge - Yang grinned and flipped it onto a plate, but Blake looked at it with a frown.

"Maybe you should make the rest of them…"

"Naw, come on! You can't give up that easily - what lesson would we be teaching Ruby then?"

Yang winked at Ruby before giving Blake a fake serious expression and offering her the spatula. Playing along, Ruby nodded.

"I'd learn a really bad lesson…" she said as convincingly as possible. "Like how giving up is the right thing to do and stuff…"

Blake stared at Ruby for a second before sighing and swiping the spatula out of Yang's hands.

"Remember to wait for the bubbles," Yang added gently, moving closer to Blake to look over her shoulder at the batter.

Eating another forkful of pancakes, Ruby chewed contently while watching the two at the stove. Did Blake know that these were the same pancakes Mom had taught Yang to make when she was just a toddler? That's what made them 'special.'

Maybe Ruby should mention how many undercooked pancakes she'd had to eat while Yang was still learning. That'd probably make Blake feel better!

"Look at those!" Yang called out happily while Blake slid several fresh pancakes out of the pan and then turned off the stove. "Those look great!"

When Blake carried the plate over and set it down on the table, Ruby looked over at them and nodded.

"Those do look good!"

"You two are just humoring me."

"Nope! They're good! Gimme all of them," Yang said, taking the entire plate of Blake-made delicacies and dousing them in syrup. Blake watched in amusement as Yang started shoveling pancakes into her mouth before reaching out to grab a few off of the other plate.

"If it clears up, do you want to try practicing later?" Blake asked, making only brief eye contact with Ruby before taking a bite to eat.

"Uh, sure, I guess."

She was going to be tired, and the last few times hadn't exactly gone well, but she could always try again. That was the point of training, right?

When they started doing these mini spars, Blake promised that she'd always fight to 100% of her ability - that way Ruby would know that she was getting Blake's best, not Blake's pity. That was great and all...Ruby appreciated that Blake always tried her hardest...but sometimes getting repeatedly destroyed in under three seconds could be a little crushing. Blake was just...too good.

But no one got better by always winning! At least, that's what Ruby was going to tell herself.

"Only if it stops raining," Blake clarified, making Yang laugh.

"Cuz you know Blake's not going _anywhere_ in this rain."

"If I don't have to go outside in the rain, why would I?" Blake asked in response.

"What if you need to get the mail? Or go to the grocery store?"

"That's what I have you for." When Blake batted her eyes, Yang laughed and tossed a piece of pancake across the table - which Blake easily snatched out of the air.

"Fine, I'll go out in the rain. But then you've gotta do all my safe-cracking and door-unlocking!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know how to do either of those things," Blake replied with a small smirk.

"Right, like the White Fang never taught you how to crack a safe," Yang joked. "They had you ask nicely for the keycode." Clasping her hands together, she put on a begging expression. "Please sir, can't you give us all your passcodes? We're only going to rob you a _little_ bit."

When Yang chuckled, Ruby's brow furrowed in confusion.

"White Fang?" she asked. Yang's eyes widened in shock and Blake's ears twitched when Ruby looked between the two of them. "Why would the White Fang teach you something?"

There was a long stretch of uncomfortable silence at the table before Yang finally spoke.

"Damn, I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Blake said, giving Yang a reassuring smile before turning to Ruby and clearing her throat. "They'd teach me because...I used to be a member."

"Of the _White Fang_?" Ruby asked in shock, looking at Yang for confirmation, but Yang was still watching Blake. Blake's ears were slightly flattened when Ruby turned back to her.

"When?"

"A long time ago…" Blake answered slowly. "When it was a slightly more peaceful organization."

"Holy...smokes…"

That explained why Blake was so good at fighting! But didn't that also mean she'd done some...kind of bad stuff? Like evil-villain type stuff? Ruby didn't know much about the White Fang, but what she _did_ know wasn't very good. They were the group that robbed a lot of places or people and, in general, caused a lot of trouble. These days a lot of White Fang members seemed to be in prison for the things they'd done.

That didn't make any sense because Blake was always kind to Ruby and good to Yang. And she certainly didn't look very proud about being a member. In fact, she seemed downright remorseful.

If Yang already knew about this and was ok with Blake living here...then it must not matter anymore. If it was a long time ago, then it was in the past and not worth getting worked up over. Plus, Ruby could've been a member of the White Fang too, for all she knew! Although she was pretty sure they only had Faunus members...but maybe they'd made an exception for her! _That's_ how evil-villainy she'd been.

"Is that how you met?" she asked, pointing between Yang and Blake and making them glance at each other in confusion. "Was Yang like...trying to 'apprehend' you?" When she giggled at the idea, Blake smiled - a small one, but still a smile.

"No, I left on my own accord," she said, looking far more relaxed than she'd just been.

" _Did_ they teach you how to crack safes? Cuz that's pretty cool!" Ruby added before continuing to eat breakfast like this was nothing more than a regular morning conversation. Which is kinda was. Blake in the White Fang, Yang losing an arm, Ruby losing her memories - they were prone to super normal conversations.

"What else did they teach you in White Fang school?" she asked while shoving another piece of pancake in her mouth.

"It...wasn't really that type of school…"

"Oh. Well maybe you can tell me about it sometime!" Realizing how pushy that sounded, Ruby backpedaled. "I mean, only if you want to," she added so that Blake wouldn't feel any pressure.

"I can do that - if you want to know," Blake answered, watching carefully as Ruby went back to finishing off her plate.

Blake was in the White Fang! That was pretty cool. She probably had some awesome stories - like spy-type stories. Breaking in and entering and stuff. And safe cracking! Maybe she could teach Ruby how to pick a lock? She'd always wanted to know how to do that.

Visibly relieved, Yang leaned over and kissed Blake on the cheek before standing and rubbing her stomach.

"Your pancakes are so good I can't finish them."

"Of course not. You're trying to eat like fifteen at once," Blake replied with an amused expression.

"I'll have the rest for lunch!" Yang said, carrying her plate over to the counter before walking back and giving Blake another peck between the ears. "Thanks for breakfast! I'm gonna shower real quick - be right back."

Left at the table, there were a few moments of silence while Ruby slowly swirled her last bite of pancake around in the syrup on her plate, trying to collect as much as possible. Popping the sopping-syrupy piece into her mouth, she noticed that Blake had been watching her the entire time.

"What?" she asked curiously.

At first, Blake looked like she was going to shake her head, but she changed her mind at the last second.

"Are you really ok with it?"

"With what?"

"With...my past?"

"Oh! Sure! Why wouldn't I be?"

Ruby must be answering these questions wrong, because Blake seemed to have difficulty believing the answers. Even now, her mouth opened and closed several times while searching for words.

"Well, I can think of many reasons. I've done some...not-so-great things...I regret them all now, of course. Becoming a member was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made."

Setting her fork down with a soft clatter, Ruby shook her head.

"The past is the past, Blake. I can't even remember mine - how could I be upset at you for yours?"

For a solid few seconds, Blake stared across the table - her ears twitching this way and that while she processed what Ruby said. After those seconds lapsed, she finally tilted her head down in a tiny nod and said, "Thank you, Ruby," so softly that Ruby almost didn't catch it. But she did catch it - and it only made her chuckle.

"It's like my mom always said - _mistakes_ don't define you..."

Smiling, Blake nodded again.

"Your reactions to them do," she finished.

"You've heard that saying before?" Ruby asked in surprise, happy to see that Blake was genuinely smiling again.

"Yang uses it sometimes, too."

"We might be related after all," Ruby joked as she stood up to take some of the dishes to the dishwasher. Following her lead, Blake began putting items away in the fridge and cupboards.

"How did your practice go?" she asked after a few moments, the question startling Ruby out of her thoughts.

"You heard me? Sorry, I was trying to be quiet -"

"Don't worry about it. You'd have to be _really_ quiet for me not to hear you."

"Yeahhh...guess Yang and I aren't exactly stealthy…"

When Blake chuckled, Ruby smiled. She was still getting used to how good Blake's hearing was. It was incredible that Blake could hear her when she was in the garage, or all the way out to the edge of the woods!

"I guess it went ok," she answered with a shrug. "Still more difficult than it should be."

"It might feel that way for a long time. It's important not to rush yourself - you have a long road ahead of you."

"Yeah...but I like to run down those roads, ya know?"

"You'll be running again before you know it," Blake replied, giving Ruby an encouraging smile. "But first you need to walk."

Sighing in acceptance of what was probably good advice, Ruby closed the door on the dishwasher and walked back to the table to sink into her seat. Putting her head in her hands, her body was finally starting to tell her just how tired and sore she was. Hopefully she could recover quickly, otherwise practicing with Blake later today would be a disaster.

Hearing a soft _clink_ , Ruby looked up to find Blake setting a glass of water and some mild pain relievers on the table in front of her.

"Thank you," she said before reaching out to take the pills. They were baby ones compared to the other options she had, but they'd be enough to ease some of the soreness from her arm and hopefully kick the headache from her head.

With nothing more than a kind smile, Blake went back to drying off the dishes that had stacked up in the sink.

See? It was things like that. How could Blake possibly be a bad person when she always noticed the little moments when Ruby needed a bit of help, no matter what form it should come in?

Absentmindedly playing with the ring around her neck, Ruby glanced down at it while Blake hung up the dishcloth and sat back down at the table. It was funny how she knew very little about it, but it was still something she turned to when she felt discouraged. It gave her strength in a way she couldn't explain.

"Do you know who gave this to me?" she asked, letting the ring slide halfway onto her finger before pulling it off again.

"...I do."

"Will you tell me who it was?"

When Ruby looked up, she saw how much the question had caught Blake off guard - her ears swiveling while her mouth opened and closed several times.

"I...will. If you want me to."

The answer surprised Ruby just as much as the question had surprised Blake. Whenever she asked Yang questions like that, she was always met with an 'I will, but I don't want to.' But Blake seemed more willing to give Ruby a piece of her past. The only question was...did she really want it?

In some ways, she did. But those feelings were bundled up with the desire to have _all_ of her memories back - not just singular ones.

Ultimately, what would knowing the truth accomplish? What if she said 'yes,' and Blake said that it was a gift from Yang? Or from her dad? Or that she found it at a pawn shop? Or on the street?

What if the answer was that the ring wasn't special at all? What if the answer was that it didn't symbolize anything? Wasn't it nicer to believe that it was some sort of powerful gift from the beyond versus whatever the real, most likely boring, answer could be?

When a twinge of pain ran through her arm, she looked down.

"Maybe one day…" she answered slowly. "Yang's right. I don't know if I can handle that right now."

It was already taking all of her energy to train and rehab her injured muscles. If she got answers, she'd only have more questions. And with more questions would come more confusion and more and more being added to her plate. It seemed like an easy way to overload herself...which she was already doing on her own. The last thing she needed was to spiral out of control.

"One day, you'll understand all of this," Blake added gently. "For now, you can focus on getting stronger."

"Yeah, but -"

Ruby's words cut off when she thought about whether or not she wanted to admit this out loud. It felt pretty personal, but Blake had shared something personal with her, so it was fair to reciprocate.

"But sometimes I think…" she began again, wrinkling her brow while trying to put her feelings into words. "That like, no matter what I do, I'm going to fail." Clenching her fist, she looked at the scar running across her wrist. "Like maybe I'm just wasting my time…"

Ever since she could remember, it had been her goal to follow in her mom's footsteps and become a huntress. It used to seem like a foregone conclusion that she'd someday make it, but now...now it felt like her goal had moved further out of reach.

"What would you do, if not this?" Blake asked, watching Ruby thoughtfully.

Shrugging one shoulder, Ruby sniffed once when emotions started to pop up. She hated feeling like she was letting her mom down. Or Yang. Or anyone. But it was hard not to feel like she'd failed somehow.

"I dunno…go live in a hole somewhere…" she muttered. She was only partly serious, but Blake reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"You can do this, Ruby."

"I dunno…"

"You can. And you will. One day, you're going to make it, and you'll know it. You'll hear the crowds screaming your name because you've just done something they've never seen before, and you'll realize that you're back."

"There aren't many crowds out in the forest though," Ruby pointed out with a chuckle, the comment making Blake's ears twitch.

"You're right...that'd be pretty strange if there were," Blake replied with a small smile. "But there will be a moment when it becomes clear that you've made it back. It's going to take hard work and dedication, but I _know_ you have that in you."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because...you just seem like that type of person."

Looking down at the table, Ruby bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. She wanted to believe Blake, she really did. But when everything hurt and the small things took so much effort, it was hard to imagine that she'd ever amount to much of anything.

"I'm scared," she whispered, closing her eyes and feeling a tear slip out. "I'm scared I'll never be g-good enough."

"Oh, Ruby…" Blake said softly, her tone filled with sorrow. When Ruby risked a glance up, Blake had already slipped out of her chair and was reaching out to pull Ruby into a tight hug. Burying her face in Blake's shoulder, Ruby hugged back just as tightly.

"You know," Blake whispered, rubbing one hand up and down Ruby's back like Yang always did. "Whenever I'm feeling down, I like to think about all the ways that I'm lucky."

"Like what?" Ruby asked, her voice muffled into Blake's shoulder.

"Like having your sister in my life, for one. Living with both of you...the two of you accepting me regardless of the mistakes I've made…knowing that no matter what happens, I always have somewhere to belong..."

Listening to the calm words of gratitude, Ruby felt her tears slow as the rush of emotions started to fade away. She was lucky too - and she knew that. Being alive...having a shot at being a huntress, no matter how small...having Yang and Blake's never-ending love and support...

"Of course you belong somewhere," she replied, sniffling once before pulling away from Blake's embrace. "No matter what - your home is with Yang and me!"

"You have no idea how much that means to me," Blake whispered, giving Ruby's shoulder a soft squeeze. "And I know it's hard to believe right now, but you _will_ be good enough. There's not a single doubt in my mind that you'll be a huntress again one day - and a great one, at that."

"Now you're just humoring me," Ruby joked, wiping her eyes and attempting a smile. "But thank you."

"Anytime, Ruby."

As Blake stood up, Ruby looked after the girl and realized she felt much better. She didn't understand how, but Blake's advice always...relaxed her, in a way. Sniffling once, she dried the remainder of her tears and cheered up even more when she realized something.

"Hey!" she said, catching Blake's attention. "That was our first hug!"

"Was it? I could've sworn that was the second..."

Giggling at the answer, Ruby stood up and gave Blake another quick, unexpected hug.

" _That_ was our second!" she said before bouncing away.

The sadness she'd felt evaporated for the time being - temporarily blasted away by one super strength hug. If Blake believed in her, and if Yang believed in her, then maybe it was time she started believing in herself. She could do this. And she would. It was going to hurt all the time, but nothing was ever going to stop her.

"Ok, kiddo!" Yang called out of the hallway before walking into the kitchen. "You wanna come with me on some errands? We can stop by that parts store you love so much."

The offer made Ruby grin. She loved that store, and she could always start studying when they got back. This would be a nice break that she probably needed.

"What about Blake?" she asked, turning to see if Blake wanted to come too.

"I'm guessing Blake's not going anywhere in this rain."

"Until they create an umbrella that doesn't let water splash all over your feet," Blake replied.

"Oh! Maybe I could make that for you!" Ruby said, making Yang laugh while Blake looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Don't waste your time, Ruby. She still won't go."

"I have a new book I want to read..." Blake admitted. "So don't worry about me. You two have fun."

"We'll miss you greatly!" Yang replied before pressing a kiss to Blake's cheek - the quick action causing her to briefly close her eyes and smile before Yang pulled away. "Whatdya say, Ruby? Coming with?"

"Sure!"

No sooner had Ruby hopped out of her seat did Yang open the closet door and toss a pair of boots out onto the floor. Practically jumping into her shoes and lacing them just as fast, Ruby was ready before Yang found both of her shoes. She'd found one - which she was holding in one hand while scrounging inside the closet for another.

"You take so longgggg!" Ruby playfully whined. "Can't you organize them or something?"

"I'm waiting for you to do that for me!" Yang answered while _finally_ finding the missing shoe and slipping them both on.

When Ruby made a face, Yang threw one arm around her shoulders and led her towards the front door. Before they stepped outside, Ruby glanced back at Blake - who smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgment. Grinning in return, Ruby hopped out into the rain and ran to the car. Thanks to her semblance, she was hardly wet when she jumped into the passenger seat beside Yang - who'd been smart enough to use an umbrella.

"I'm glad Blake's around," Ruby commented while they buckled themselves in. The remark made Yang beam at her.

"Yeah? You're ok with the whole White Fang thing?"

"That doesn't matter to me," Ruby answered with a wave of her hand. "You know her better than I do. If you know she's a good person, then I do too!"

Looking towards the house, Yang wore a slightly goofy smile as she said, "She's more than just a good person. She's...incredible..."

Maybe Ruby didn't feel _quite_ the same way about Blake as Yang did, but she knew that Blake was special, in some way. Probably because she was Yang's girlfriend and of course that made her special. But also because she could make Ruby feel so much better with only a few words and a hug – just like Yang could.

"I'm lucky you're both around," she concluded. Reaching over, Yang rustled her hair before starting the car.

"We're the lucky ones, Ruby."


	31. Chapter 31

**Update on me - I'm going to be out of town next weekend, so next week's chapter might be delayed or not posted at the regular time of day. We'll see! I can schedule posts on , so no worries there, but I can't do that on ! Hopefully, I'll have an easily accessible internet connection and can post from my phone or something!**

* * *

One - it wasn't very fair to spring monumental decisions on Weiss with very little notice. History already proved that she was ill-equipped for rational thinking under a great deal of pressure, especially when Ruby was involved.

Two - well, the first reason should be good enough.

Had Blake and Yang _seriously_ expected Weiss to tell Ruby about their history within a matter of days? What a ludicrous expectation to place upon her...when they knew full well how her base personality required far more time to analyze and plan out an appropriate course of action.

It was an unreasonable expectation. As such, _of course_ she hadn't been successful. It was a failing endeavor from the start.

It was nice that they put so much faith in her, but what they failed to understand was how difficult it would be for her to _set foot_ on Beacon's campus - let alone spend an entire day surrounded by old friends and familiar faces. The prospect of coming clean to Ruby at the same time was another level of emotional dilemma.

Could she spill the beans, so to speak? Maybe.

Did she want to?

That was the most problematic part of this entire predicament. She didn't know what she wanted to do, and she couldn't figure out an answer no matter how much time she devoted to weighing her options.

To tell Ruby - or to keep it a secret...at least for a little while longer.

She'd yet to make a decision, and the day of the Beacon Invite arrived. She'd let time slip away as she fell into the all-too-familiar habit of avoidance - trying to escape overwhelming uncertainty. With so very little time remaining, she'd declined Blake's invitation to meet her team at their house to travel to the airship station together. Instead, she opted to focus on a series of small victories she set up to trick herself out the door.

Because she _would_ go to Beacon - no matter how badly she wished to stay away. That was a promise she'd made to Ruby, and she was going to do everything within her power to fulfill it.

Out of bed, get dressed - two small victories.

Small breakfast, out the door - more tiny victories.

Into the waiting car, to the airship station - small, yet growing victories.

Arrive at the station, get out of the car, allow the driver to leave her behind - victories she should congratulate herself for if she wasn't paralyzed by fear.

Honestly, she was surprised she'd made it this far. Beacon was so far off limits that when the word came up, she buried it underneath mounds and mounds of work. To her, Beacon symbolized everything she'd built with Ruby - the foundation of both their friendship and their relationship. It was at Beacon where her life truly began...and she didn't want to go back yet. She wanted to leave the past in peace.

But she'd _promised_. So...this morning it wasn't Beacon she was heading towards. It was Ruby. Whatever came next -

"Weiss!"

Turning towards the sound of her name, excitement tingled down Weiss' spine when she caught sight of the source. Ruby was geared up in her combat attire - the boots, the skirt, the red cloak - with Crescent Rose hung on her back and Thorn adorning her hand. She looked prepared for battle - however big the fight might be. She looked dangerous and extremely capable.

She looked like a huntress.

It was a sight Weiss never thought she'd see again, yet here it was - racing over before crashing into her for a hug.

"You made it!" Ruby called out, holding Weiss at arm's length while silver eyes twinkled brightly. The eager expression was enough to make Weiss temporarily forget her reservations.

"Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?"

While Ruby grinned, Yang walked past and clapped one hand down on her sister's shoulder.

"Come on, kids. Let's get this show on the road!"

Watching the full huntress versions of Blake and Yang walk over the ramp and into the waiting ship, Weiss remembered the trepidation laying upon her mood ever since she woke up this morning. If it wasn't for Ruby grabbing her hand, she might not have followed her teammates aboard at all.

But Ruby _did_ grab Weiss' hand and, whether she realized it or not, provided enough strength for Weiss to board the ship with her teammates. As she did so, she reminded herself that there would be no real enemies today - only simulations. No one would be in any physical danger. The only thing in danger was her relationship with Ruby, which seemed to have recently reached a new level of closeness.

"You wore your combat stuff too!" Ruby pointed out while picking a pair of seats in the row behind Blake and Yang. Pausing in the aisle so that Ruby could have the window seat, Weiss sat down and clutched her hands in her lap.

"I wanted to blend in," she answered calmly, utilizing the excuse she'd come up with yesterday after spending hours deciding how she might broach the subject of her past affiliations with Beacon. If she was to fight today, wearing her combat outfit was essential. And Myrtenaster was stored in a locker, waiting to be called if needed.

That was a pretty big 'if.'

"You look great!" Ruby replied, hopefully failing to notice the blush the compliment dusted across Weiss' cheeks.

"You do too," she managed to whisper in reply before glancing away and watching the doors close. Her pulse beat faster as her mind tried to wish herself back out the doors. It was too late - there'd be no turning back now, as the ramps drew away and a soft melody announced their imminent departure.

The next second the ship gave a small jolt as it detached from the landing pad, causing her to flinch in surprise. In no time, they were rising rapidly into the sky before blasting away from the station - destination: Beacon.

Ruby's face was practically glued to the window as the ship zoomed into the air, remaining there until they'd ascended above the cloud cover and the city below was no longer visible.

"How far are we? Yang! How far are we?" she asked, standing up in order to look down at her sister in the row ahead.

"Not far, Ruby. Won't take long at all."

Plopping back into her seat, Ruby examined Thorn for a half second before turning her gaze elsewhere.

"Are you nervous?"

The answer to Weiss' question was abundantly obvious - Ruby's knee bounced nonstop while her right hand subconsciously played with the ring around her neck.

"A little, yeah…"

With a soft 'hmm,' Weiss hesitantly dropped one hand onto Ruby's hopping knee. The gesture temporarily stopped the bouncing...until the other one started up.

"I don't know what to expect!" Ruby continued, her hand still spinning and spinning her ring in anxiety. "Or _who_ to expect. And I've never fought in front of anyone but you guys before and there's gonna be a whole crowd of people plus it'll be on TV and I really, _really_ don't want to make a fool of myself!"

Taking a deep breath, Ruby finally focused on Weiss.

"There's just...a lot," she surmised with a quick smile. "I think my mind might _really_ explode this time."

"You're going to do great," Weiss replied, squeezing Ruby's knee in encouragement at the same time. They shared a smile before Ruby looked down at the ring in her hands, and her mouth curled into a slight frown.

"Do you think she'll show?"

When bright, silver eyes found Weiss, they gleamed with unconcealed hope. The expression reinforced what Yang had said and what Weiss already knew - how could anyone possibly want to disappoint Ruby?

"I think she'd be stupid not to."

The answer seemed to reassure Ruby, but her knee kept bouncing and her ring kept spinning. Weiss could only imagine what must be going through Ruby's mind right now - between seeing Beacon for the 'first time,' potentially meeting her long-lost partner, competing against a group of full-fledged huntsmen and huntresses...as Ruby had so aptly put it - it was a lot.

But for every ounce Ruby was nervous, she was also clearly excited. As usual, she ran towards a challenge with a smile on her face and a hop in her step. She embraced adversity. No matter how big this moment may be, she'd rise to it - and then above it.

"Have you been to Beacon before?" Ruby suddenly asked, breaking the silence while turning away from the window.

"I - yes, but a long time ago," Weiss fibbed, unprepared for the question. However, Ruby accepted the answer readily - bobbing her head before staring out the window and falling back into silence.

Weiss' stomach jumped into her throat when the ship began its rapid descent, amplifying her pulse as they fell into the clouds. Reaching over, she clasped one of Ruby's hands in her own - much more for her own support than for Ruby's. Glancing at their joined hands, Ruby grinned and moved closer to the window as they dropped below the clouds - and she gasped when the ship was finally sailing through clear skies again.

There it was. Beacon.

When Blake stood and looked over the back of the seats at them, Weiss dropped Ruby's hand and then immediately cursed herself for being so modest. Once upon a time, she hadn't cared so much about what others thought, but today...it was as if she and Ruby were starting new - and that meant nerves and modesty were back full force.

"Are you ready?" Blake asked - although Weiss wasn't sure if the question was directed more towards her or Ruby.

Giggling, Ruby leaned into Weiss' shoulder.

"I'm super pumped!"

Speechless, Weiss responded to Blake's inquisitive eyes with nothing more than a small nod.

Ready? No, she wasn't. But it didn't matter if she was ready or not - they were already there. In a matter of hours, Ruby would be fighting in the tournament...with or without Weiss.

The slight bump of the airship docking made her wince while her heart climbed higher into her throat. When the other passengers began standing up, she remained glued to her seat, her nerves shooting like livewires through her veins. It wasn't until Ruby stood and tapped Weiss' shoulder that she persuaded her limbs to carry her off the ship and towards the entry to Beacon's grounds.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as large groups of attendees emptied from a series of airships that had arrived nearly in unison. Undeterred by the crowds, Ruby raced ahead - shooting down to the bottom of the ramp before letting out another gasp.

"Wowww!"

From here, the view of Beacon was quite awe-inspiring. The sparkling buildings, many recently rebuilt. The sprawling walkways, the towering trees, the green forest in the distance...and the people. Crowds and crowds of people walked or gathered around the edges of the paths. Most of them appeared to be spectators, but more than a few students milled about. And, standing out amongst the crowds, were one or two other huntsmen - easily identifiable by the weapons they were hauling around.

"I mean, I've seen pictures and stuff, but wow!" Ruby continued with an excited hop as they followed the flow of people away from the airship. "Look at this place!"

Reaching the first break - where the new arrivals began to disperse in all directions towards their ultimate destinations - Ruby raced a few paces ahead and spun in a slow circle, her lively eyes taking in all of the sights before she turned back to them and waved.

"Come on, guys!"

While Ruby raced ahead, pausing every few feet to take another good look around, Weiss watched from afar and willed her feet to carry her further. Feeling a warm presence by her side, she turned and found Yang standing beside her - lilac eyes following Ruby with a small smile on her lips.

"You're gonna tell her today, right?" she asked quietly.

The question made Weiss swallow thickly while her heart continued to beat wildly in her chest. The ride here had done nothing to help her make a decision. If anything, it only reinforced that she didn't possess the courage to broach the topic today.

"Right? Weiss?" Yang asked again after too much time elapsed, turning that purple gaze in Weiss' direction. Swallowing again, Weiss nodded once and attempted a smile.

"I'm just...waiting for the right moment..."

Yang let out a gentle laugh, as if that was the response she'd expected.

"It's Beacon, Weiss. I'm sure there'll be plenty of 'em," she commented before walking ahead to join Ruby, who was again waving at them to hurry up. Taking Yang's place by Weiss' side, Blake remained behind for a second longer.

" _Are_ you going to tell her?"

"Of co-" Halting the lie before it fully appeared, Weiss sighed and shook her head. "I can't decide."

Blake's ears twitched in concern, but her eyes showed nothing.

"Do you want us to tell her for you?"

"Thank you, but it should come from me, shouldn't it?"

"It should...but if you don't feel like you can -"

"I can do it," Weiss cut in resolutely before feeling the courage quickly fade away. "I just...need to decide if that's the right thing to do."

"You don't have much time left to make up your mind…" Blake whispered before moving to rejoin Yang up ahead.

Only after briefly closing her eyes and sighing did Weiss move to follow, clasping her hands together to prevent them from openly shaking. The crowds weren't helping her nerves. If anything, they were only amplifying her anxiety by their presence. Thankfully, it looked like the paths up ahead thinned out as everyone moved to the arena at their own pace. That's where Ruby was already waiting for them, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.

Weiss could do it - she could tell Ruby. If she wanted to.

If she wanted to, she could do it.

While making her way back to her team, she did her best to ignore the people surrounding her. In some instances they were far too close, stepping into her personal space or jostling her. At other times they were far away, but she could feel the looks - the second glances at her outfit as if trying to place her. And the whispers…Ruby, Ruby, RWBY, RWBY…

Outside of this place, when Ruby was in nothing but street clothes and absent a spectacularly eye-catching weapon, most people would fail to connect her with the legend she'd created. But here...at Beacon...at a competition for huntsmen…

"Is that -"

"Do you think -'

"Was that really Ruby Rose?"

Fortunately, those who noticed were content to keep their distance - gawking but not attempting to approach. Ruby probably wouldn't have minded if they did, but the potential for them to ask about the entire team - including Weiss - could be catastrophic. Not that it had ever happened to them before, but there was a first time for everything...

"This place is _huge_!" Ruby was saying when Weiss caught up to them.

With every sentence Ruby spoke, she added a joyful hop at the end for emphasis. It was adorable and would've been thoroughly enjoyable if Weiss wasn't entirely preoccupied with the large open space they were approaching.

"This is where the new students make their way into Beacon for the first time," Yang announced, using grand gestures to wave towards the pillars while they passed beneath them. "Pretty cool, right?"

Watching Ruby intently, Weiss tried to read the reaction - or, more realistically, to see if there was any flicker of recognition in those wide, silver eyes.

"Really cool! And big!" Ruby answered, turning around and giving Weiss a grin she couldn't return.

This was where new students made their way into Beacon for the first time. This was where they'd first met. As inauspicious as that meeting had been, it was a milestone in Weiss' life. It was one of those moments she could point to and say - 'Right there. That moment changed my life for the better.'

But it was nothing to Ruby.

"What do you think, Weiss?" Yang asked while all three of her teammates looked at her with varying degrees of expectation.

How was she supposed to respond to that question though? 'Yes, this looks exactly like the place I met Ruby years ago?'

"It's lovely," was all she managed to mutter before walking on - voluntarily leaving that part of her past behind.

Because it was gone. She'd already known that, but somewhere she must've held onto the hope that Beacon had survived...if only in a glimmer of recognition. But Beacon hadn't survived - just like Weiss hadn't survived, or Blake, or any of the years of memories they'd shared together.

The absence was only another heartache to add to the pile.

"Think we can sneak into our old dorm room?" Yang asked after a passing moment of silence, throwing a wave towards a group of students who immediately began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves.

"Of course we can," Blake replied. "The question is, why would we?"

"To mess with the freshies!"

Taking Yang's hand, Blake shook her head and led them away from the rows of dorm buildings whose mere sight tore at Weiss' composure. Inside that building - that one right there - was the first room she'd ever shared...and it had been one of the most surprisingly enjoyable experiences of her life. Staying up late studying for exams (or helping those on her team who'd failed to adequately prepare), watching scary movies all weekend when it rained, trying and failing to make their own soap...all of those memories were bundled up in that unassuming building.

Where they would stay.

"Which one was ours?" Ruby asked as they walked by, her eyes lingering a moment longer.

"That one right there," Yang answered while pointing it out to Ruby, who merely nodded and then turned away. That was it.

Meanwhile, Weiss' eyes flitted back to the building until it was out of sight, but not out of mind.

This was something like taking a walking tour through her most painful memories - hurting more and more with every subsequent building that was passed without a hint of recognition. It was as if they were acknowledging that the past didn't exist anymore. Even though Weiss remembered it vividly, it was gone.

Unfortunately, it would get worse before it would get better - _if_ it would get better at all. Next up was the dining hall, where she refused to allow her eyes to remain for too long. Food and Ruby would always be intertwined in her mind...

"That's the dining hall. They've got some good food. And some not so good food," Yang explained with a chuckle. "Oh, and there's a classroom building."

Pausing, Weiss looked up at the slanted roof and felt her heart clench.

That wasn't just any classroom building. That was the building Ruby had climbed on top of to shout her feelings for Weiss - and practically the rest of Beacon - to hear. It had been one of the most utterly embarrassing yet greatest moments of her life rolled into one.

'Ruby, get down here right now!' she'd yelled at her partner in vain.

'Not until you say you'll go out with me!'

'Sure! Fine! Whatever you want, just get down here!'

When Ruby had gleefully jumped down, to much applause, Weiss had pretended to be angry, but she'd secretly been...ecstatic. All of the feelings she'd been unable to express to Ruby had been returned tenfold. It only took Ruby's courage and lack of social etiquette to finally bring them together.

Who would've thought that what Weiss needed was someone to love her so loudly...so unabashedly...that they'd literally shout it from the rooftops?

Feeling someone step beside her, she hastily wiped a tear from her eye.

"Weiss…" Blake whispered.

"I'm fine." The response was so automatic, Weiss could only shake her head after. "I'll be alright," she corrected, shooting a worried glance towards Yang and Ruby. The last thing she wanted was for Ruby to wonder why a classroom building was worth so much emotion.

"We should probably head to the arena now," Blake called out to the other two, giving Weiss' shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We don't want to be late."

Yang looked their way before nodding and throwing on a smile for Ruby.

"Come on, Ruby. Time to show you the best part of the campus!"

Glancing at the buildings one more time, Ruby smiled at Weiss before happily following her sister away. Passing between several taller buildings and making it through a small square, they turned a corner and suddenly the arena came into view - towering in the distance down a long avenue that was crawling with people.

This was where all of the action was happening.

As they joined the fray, Blake remained by Weiss' side until Ruby glanced over her shoulder and paused for them to catch up. Only then did Blake seamlessly move ahead to walk with Yang, sliding her hand into her partner's to announce her presence and earning a grin in return.

"You doing ok?" Ruby asked, giving Weiss a concerned expression.

"Yes, why?"

"You seem kinda quiet."

"It's...all the people," she answered, diverting her eyes from a group of rambunctious students who'd just pointed their way before talking amongst themselves. "I'm not a huge fan of crowds."

Ruby immediately slid closer to Weiss, as if to provide a physical barrier preventing anyone else from getting too close.

"Gotcha. But you're still having fun, right?"

"Of course."

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand and led her through the groups of people. The arena towered over them as they neared the entrance, while the sounds of many voices mingled in the air to create one loud drone filled with anticipation and excitement.

A wide pathway led directly to the main entrance of the arena - a several-stories-tall, hundreds of feet wide, gaping opening with gates thrown open to accept the throng of spectators inside. But this wasn't the entrance they would use. There were multiple smaller entrances located around the side of the arena for huntsmen and other staff. It was when Yang and Blake led them off of the main walkway towards one of these entrances that Ruby suddenly gasped and dropped Weiss' hand.

"Oh my godddd - look at those!" Ruby squealed, pointing out Fox and Yatsuhashi's rather intimidating swords. Although...for as intimidating as the weapons were, the two members of Team CFVY looked far less dangerous toting along what had to be Coco's fashionably-pink luggage.

"Do you think I can even _hold_ that thing?" Ruby asked, gesturing to Yatsuhashi's sword.

Pausing to see what Ruby was gushing about, Yang chuckled at her sister's zealousness.

"Why don't you go ask?" she suggested.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Introduce yourself and ask," she said, giving Ruby an encouraging nudge forward. "I'm sure he'll let you!"

Ruby's hesitation lasted for only a second before she smiled and skipped over to Team CFVY on her own. Upon noticing her approach, the entire team stopped and listened Ruby to intently before Coco started laughing at whatever was said. For his part, Yatsuhashi didn't hesitate in setting down Coco's bags and removing the sword from his back before handing it over to Ruby. As soon as he released it, the weight dragged Ruby's hands straight down and the tip clanked into the ground. Weiss smiled, and Yang chuckled while they watched Ruby strain to lift the weapon and hold it in something resembling a proper fighting stance. Thankfully, Ruby didn't try to swing it - and gladly handed it back to the boy, who lifted it like a feather over his head to hang on his back.

It was impossible to hear from this distance and with this many people around, but Velvet said something next and pointed to Thorn, most likely asking about his purpose. It was the perfect question to ask, immediately sending Ruby into excited chatters about her newest accessory. She then offered Crescent Rose to the team, and Coco nodded for Yatsuhashi to take it.

With a nod, he accepted the scythe and drew it back before launching it through the air. It had already traveled at least fifty yards before it jarred to a stop and flew back for Ruby to easily jump and catch.

Ruby's latest parlor trick made Weiss smile. It was as handy as it was unusual - and Team CFVY seemed to agree from their respectful nods. Velvet, of course, immediately asked to take a photo of Thorn, which Ruby graciously obliged. As the interaction wrapped up and Team CFVY prepared to continue their way to the arena, Coco patted Ruby on the back and Velvet sent a small wave their way.

With a huge grin on her face, Ruby bounded back to them.

"They're super nice! And that sword was _heavy_. Did you see me try to hold it?" As Ruby imitated her struggles, Weiss smiled again - happy that Ruby had enjoyed re-meeting Team CFVY so much.

"They won last year, ya know," Yang added while they walked on, succeeding in making Ruby's jaw nearly drop to the ground.

"What?! No way! Really?!"

"Yup. All five rounds - time to spare. Helps with four people though."

"But you can finish with three!" Ruby answered, sending a grin Weiss' way. "I've seen it happen before."

"Totally doable," Yang responded. "It's just hard to _win_ with three."

"I don't care about winning!" Ruby quipped. "But I want to finish the rounds!"

Catching Ruby's optimistic grin, Weiss couldn't help but feel her spirits lifted by the fact that Ruby was already having such a great time. If nothing else good happened, Ruby's happiness made coming here worth the trouble.

Mid-stride, Blake's posture suddenly stiffened.

"Here comes trouble," she muttered at the same moment Weiss noticed Cardin Winchester standing with his team up ahead. Unfortunately, the boy had noticed them - more specifically, Ruby - and was already striding over with a smirk on his lips.

"I got it," Yang replied confidently, smiling while Cardin walked up to Ruby.

"Well well well, if it isn't little miss - oomph!"

The boy doubled over before he could finish the sentence, his hands clamped over his stomach where Yang's elbow had just landed with a painful thump. While he was still hunched over, Yang leaned down and whispered something into his ear - something that made Blake's eyes widen in surprise. Nodding enthusiastically, he straightened slightly before hobbling off at a fast pace, never looking back.

Noticing Ruby's bewildered expression at what just happened, Yang merely shrugged.

"He owes me money," she explained before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

Violence was never the answer...but well-placed intimidation worked wonders on a bully like Cardin. As long as it kept him away from Ruby, Weiss was willing to endorse Yang's methodology. Otherwise, there was no telling what he might say or do just to cause trouble.

As one of the side entrances loomed up ahead, Weiss picked out a crowd of students and several huntsmen gathered around Professor Oobleck - who seemed to be holding court of some sort, which wasn't surprising given his popularity as one of Beacon's best professors. He was the one who let students try to take down an Ursa in their first class - or allowed them into sections of the forest that were off limits. There likely wasn't a single student who didn't try to get on his good side, if only to be allowed the opportunity to test their skills against a foe that was potentially way too powerful.

To be a student again...blessed with a sense of invincibility and a good dose of naivety...

"Oh, hey!" Yang suddenly remarked while pointing towards Professor Oobleck. "Blake and I will check us in. You two wanna hang out here?"

When Ruby nodded, Yang winked at Weiss before leading Blake over to the crowd of students. Clearly, this was a pre-designed moment to give Weiss the opportunity to speak with Ruby in private...as if the wink hadn't made that entirely obvious...

Shuffling her feet and glancing over, Weiss found Ruby's eyes darting from one spot to another - trying to soak in as much of the atmosphere as possible. In particular, her attention was drawn to every weapon she found. Knowing Ruby's mind, Weiss had to assume that a catalog of wants and wishes was being created with every sword and saber that passed them by.

"How do you like Beacon so far?" she finally asked, failing to think of a better question to spark a conversation.

"It's great! Really big. I just wish I could remember what these places were."

"But I thought you didn't want to know your past…" Weiss replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I don't! But I do. It's a really weird situation going on in my head right now."

Regardless of whatever mental turmoil Ruby was experiencing right now, she grinned That had always been one of her strengths. No matter what the world decided to throw at her, she always found a reason to smile.

"It'll be better once I'm fighting," Ruby added, her gaze flitting from one person to the next. "Then I can focus on the fight and not…everything else..."

"You'll be out there soon," Weiss replied, although she wasn't sure if her reply was reassuring or distressing. The closer they drew to the arena - and the walls were only a matter of feet away from them now - the closer they grew to revelation or disappointment.

After scanning several other faces, Ruby finally turned to Weiss with an embarrassed smile.

"I keep thinking I'll recognize someone," she admitted while reaching up to touch her necklace - the action all but saying who she was trying to find. "Kinda dumb, right?"

"No, Ruby…" Weiss immediately replied before struggling to find the words she wanted to say next.

That was a wish she'd made so many times...that Ruby would just _remember_ \- as if it was as easy as that. Like flipping on a light switch, all of those memories would return.

It was something she wished for, but knowing that Ruby sometimes felt the way only filled her with regret.

"That's not dumb at all," she continued, giving Ruby an encouraging smile. "I think that's a pretty natural response after what you've been through."

"Yeah...let's hope everyone else is as understanding as you!" Ruby quipped before finding another smile that somehow put Weiss at ease even though it was Ruby in need of comfort. "Oh wow - look at _that!"_

Distracted by a neon blue crossbow, Ruby practically drooled as the weapon was carried past.

Grateful that Ruby had such a short memory when it came to difficult situations, Weiss watched the crossbow until she spotted Blake and Yang out of the corner of her eye. From the look of it, they were having a serious conversation - Blake speaking quickly, her ears slightly flattened while Yang listened intently. Yang's brow was furrowed, but she was beginning to nod in agreement with whatever Blake was saying.

What were those two up to now?

"You'll stay with me until we go in?" Ruby asked - the question so openly earnest and hopeful that it tugged strongly at Weiss' heart.

"I'll stay until you want me to go," Weiss replied with a gentle smile.

Even though Ruby smiled back, she couldn't know that that moment might be closer than either of them realized - that she might have reason to ask Weiss to leave and never come back. Until then...Weiss would stay by Ruby's side.

Seeing Yang and Blake walking back to them, Weiss dropped Ruby's gaze and turned to face the rest of their team.

"Turns out they need you to go over yourself," Yang said while joining them. "Wanna run over there and get checked in?"

"Sure!" Ruby replied, racing to Blake's side to head over to Professor Oobleck. When Weiss moved to follow, Yang stuck out an arm to stop her - allowing Blake and Ruby to move on without them.

"Hey, hold on a second," Yang said, gently turning Weiss towards her and lowering her voice. "How're you doing?"

Sighing, Weiss glanced at Ruby and Blake before turning back to Yang.

"I've been better."

Nodding, Yang's eyes also flitted to Ruby before fixing on Weiss.

"Listen, it was too much to ask you to come here _and_ tell Ruby," she said, her voice soft and full of understanding. "So don't worry about it, ok? We can tell her later if you want."

"But...what about her partner?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"I'll make something up. She'll be disappointed, but she's survived worse." Giving Weiss a hopeful smile, Yang patted her once on the shoulder. "We'd rather _you_ didn't have another aneurysm."

Stunned by the change of events, which Weiss now knew must've been the topic of conversation she'd just witnessed, she had no idea how to respond. This took a tremendous amount of pressure off of her and meant that she wouldn't be letting Yang down if she (most likely) failed to tell Ruby the truth. She hated the idea that Ruby would be disappointed, but this might be the breath of relief she needed to survive the day.

Trying to smile in acceptance, she nodded.

"Thank you…"

"Yang!"

Hearing Ruby's voice, both of them turned in that direction at the same time - finding Ruby throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"What're you talking about? They're not even doing check-ins!"

"They aren't?" Yang asked with nearly-genuine surprise. "Then who did Blake and I talk to?"

Quickly understanding that it had been a joke, Ruby pouted while Yang laughed.

"Ruby!"

There wasn't time to find the source of the voice before an orange missile slammed into Ruby and lifted her feet right off the ground. Weiss' initial shock quickly dissipated into familiarity - which morphed into concern in a heartbeat.

Nora.

"Rubyyyy! I'm so happy to see youuuu!" Nora sang cheerfully, keeping Ruby's arms pinned to her side while swinging her in the air like some prized doll. For her part, Ruby didn't seem too concerned, but was dumbfounded by what was happening.

"Uh...hi?"

Dropping Ruby to the ground, Nora took a half step back. "Hi!" she said with a grand wave and giant smile. "Long time no see, silly goose! Look at you all up n' attem - oh cool glove!"

Nora - the epitome of unpredictable. Taking a slow step back, Weiss tried her best to disappear and not draw Nora's attention lest the girl completely blow her cover. Thankfully, Nora's focus was centered squarely upon Ruby while grabbing her hand to peer over Thorn.

"Ruby, this is Nora," Blake explained, nodding to Nora before gesturing to the stoic boy only now catching up to them. "And this is her partner, Ren. They're members of Team JNPR."

When understanding showed in Ruby's expression, it dawned on Weiss as well.

A stranger running up out of the blue - Ruby could've thought that _Nora_ was her long lost partner. Thankfully, Blake cleared up that potential misunderstanding seamlessly.

"Are you competing today?" Ruby asked with a friendly grin. If she was disappointed, it was impossible to tell. Was she disappointed? If she was disappointed that Nora wasn't her partner, what would she possibly think of Weiss?

"I _wish_ ," Nora replied with a pout. "Pyrrha dragged Jaune off on some hunt somewhere, so we can't fight. But we asked to be the hosts!"

"'Asked,' Nora?" Ren drawled dubiously.

"Fine! Begged! Whatever, they still agreed!" Nora shouted, adding a giggle at the end before suddenly frowning. "If only Pyrrha hadn't agreed to that hunt!" she wailed. "We were gonna _crush it_ this year!"

The disappointment was gone as soon as it appeared.

"You really don't remember anything?" Nora asked instead, dropping Thorn in favor of looking through Ruby's eyes and ears as if she might be able to see straight through Ruby's brain.

"Some things," Ruby answered, ducking her head out of the way when Nora tried to pull at one of her ears. "From a long time ago."

"Then you don't remember that time I threw a pie in your face?"

"Nora," Ren gently scolded his partner.

"Why did you throw a pie in my face?" Ruby asked in confusion, but Nora just scratched her chin.

"Who said I threw a pie in your face? Hey, do you wanna eat a lot of olives?"

"Uh...sure?"

The response made Nora burst into uncontrollable, elated giggles.

"Alright, Nora, we'd better get going," Ren said, taking her by both shoulders and steering her away. "We don't want to be late."

"Goodbye Ruby! And team!" Nora yelled back to them before disappearing inside the arena doors. Jaw still unhinged, Ruby stared at the door before giving Yang a look of incredulity.

"So...that's Nora…" Yang said with a little chuckle. "But we should get going too - it's gonna start soon!"

"And people say _I_ have a lot of energy!" Ruby replied before bouncing over to Weiss' side - taking Nora's unique personality in stride.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss tried to smile at Ruby when she hooked one arm around Weiss'. But it couldn't have been close to a true smile - not when this was it. This was the moment she'd been dreading ever since Yang told her about the fateful invitation Ruby intercepted in the mail.

Blake and Yang led the way towards the entrance being used by the other huntsmen, traveling a more narrow path that took them to a normal-sized door. Ruby's head was on a swivel as they walked - looking at every huntsman she could find.

Soon they'd be in the arena waiting area. And after that...

When they walked through the open doorway, moving from the bright sunlight outside to a dim-by-comparison corridor, they almost immediately bumped into Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. The two leaders of the school were welcoming the huntsmen with nods of recognition and respect, but as soon as he saw Ruby, Professor Ozpin walked over with a warm smile.

"Miss Rose," he said with a whimsical smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"You too...Sir," Ruby replied, dipping her head in respect. It was clear from her expression that she had no idea who he was, but knew enough to respond politely.

When Professor Ozpin turned towards her, Weiss' breath caught in her throat. If he greeted her by name, Ruby would wonder how he knew Weiss when she hadn't gone to school here. But he only smiled at her and made to move by them.

"I look forward to seeing what you're capable of this time," he added as he walked away. Professor Goodwitch gave the four of them a hint of a smile and a soft "Good luck," before following the man towards the interior of the stadium - likely heading towards the stands where they'd watch the battles unfold.

Ruby watched after them carefully, as if willing her brain to give her back memories of the two. When nothing happened, she shook her head and smiled.

"He seems nice!" she surmised. "Has that whole 'mysterious uncle' vibe going on."

"He's pretty cool," Yang replied, her relief at the interaction only briefly showing. "Professor Ozpin - he's in charge here. And Professor Goodwitch - she's not quite as 'good' as the name implies."

Yang's assessment made Weiss roll her eyes as they continued towards the bottom of the arena - where everyone would wait until they were called upon.

Professor Goodwitch was a great teacher and an avid disciplinarian. It was the last trait which led to more than a few encounters with Yang while they'd been in school. And who had Yang always dragged along for her nefarious plans?

The sisters had the best intentions when it came to pulling pranks, but Grimm help them they couldn't master the art of plausible deniability. That's where Weiss stepped in and...cleaned up the operation a bit. Less trouble meant less detention for her teammates, which meant they could train more and rise in the ranks amongst their class. It was a good enough cause for Weiss to get behind.

Voices drifted out of the room up ahead, where Weiss already knew the rest of the huntsmen were waiting. It was impossible to keep her hands from shaking while they walked towards the open doorway and turned to enter the room.

This was it - the Invite had officially arrived.

"Ok, kiddo...welcome back," Yang said, holding Ruby's shoulders and leading her into the room.

The waiting area was located in the bowels of the stadium - several long hallways away from the fighting platform that lifted combatants into the arena. The tournament had yet to begin, so the room was currently filled with huntsmen. Most were clustered with their teams discussing last-minute strategies or goals, but some of the more social were flitting from group-to-group saying hello and exchanging stories of hunts that had happened since the last time they'd all been together.

Weiss looked to her side when she heard a muffled squeal come from Ruby - whose eyes were huge and flitting in every direction. The anticipation and excitement in the air were nearly palpable, which Ruby was obviously feeding off of to the nth degree.

"Weiss -" Ruby whispered while her eyes refused to stop moving from one person to the next - or, more likely, from one weapon to the next. "This is amazing."

"Yang!" someone suddenly called out before waving Yang over.

"Come on, Ruby," Yang said, leading Ruby by one shoulder to the center of the room - where the rest of the team captains were gathering.

"I can't believe they still draw straws," Blake commented while she and Weiss watched each of the captains shake hands before pulling a single stick from Yang's hand. Yang made sure to let Ruby pull first, although she was so star-struck at the moment it looked like she was confused by what Yang was asking her to do. A couple of the captains laughed good-naturedly at Ruby's wonderment before choosing their own stick. Some groaned, some cheered, but the results and order were set by the time Yang and Ruby walked back to them.

Or, more accurately, Yang walked while Ruby nearly levitated off the ground.

"Third!" she announced, brandishing the small stick in her hand.

"That means we'll get to watch teams after us!" Yang said before giving her sister a high five.

What they didn't mention, but what Weiss immediately thought to herself, was that going third meant there wasn't much time until they'd be called in.

"Come on, let's sit down," Yang added before leading them to a relatively quiet corner of the room. As they walked, Weiss kept her eyes trained on the ground and avoided eye contact with anyone she knew. She didn't want anyone to approach her with Ruby around. Although it shouldn't be too difficult for her to be seen as 'unapproachable' - she'd spent her entire pre-Beacon life as such.

"I've never seen so many huntsmen!"

Ruby's adoration was refreshing - even if it was a little misplaced. Sure, there were many amazing huntsmen here at the moment, but Ruby was better than most of them _now_ \- and she'd been better than all of them in her prime. From the healthy amount of interest she was garnering, no one had forgotten how good she was, but they were keeping a respectful distance. Everyone knew what had happened, of course. When one of Remnant's most treasured huntresses falls, word spreads quickly in the aftermath…

When Weiss looked at Ruby - whose eyes still moved from one huntsman to the next - she felt a pang of guilt run through her chest when she noticed that Ruby was once again holding onto her ring. And she was still searching...because if her partner was going to show up, it would have to be any minute now.

A loudspeaker suddenly buzzed to life - calling for the first team and causing everyone else to let out loud whoops and claps while giving out high-fives to the first combatants. The team walked confidently out of the room towards the series of hallways that led into the belly of the arena. It wasn't long after they'd left that a far-off crowd roared to life - the spectators giving a warm welcome to the first of many huntsmen who would be competing today.

With the Invite officially underway, the video screens placed around the room flickered to life and the remaining teams congregated around them to watch the feed of the events from up above.

The Invite wasn't set up to be impossible - it was meant to be a spectacle of their capabilities. What set teams apart was time rather than the ability to move forward, something they'd always had a significant advantage at with Ruby around.

A total of eight minutes was given to complete five rounds, with each subsequent round more difficult than the last. Round five was always some colossal machine or Grimm that teams were usually left with only a handful of seconds to take down. There were short pauses between the rounds while the stages were set and replays were played for the crowd, but, beyond that, the clock ticked fast.

"Let's go!" someone called out, earning a "Whoop!" from another huntsman in response before many of the voices faded away in favor of watching the screens.

Weiss couldn't watch though. There were far more pressing matters that her mind was latched onto - like the fact that Ruby still hadn't let go of her necklace.

The expectation had been removed - Weiss no longer _had_ to tell Ruby - but it still felt like she had to. What had she been telling Ruby all day? _Of course_ her partner would show up. She'd be an idiot not to.

Well...who was the idiot now?

"Making it through the rounds is important, but you also want to be impressive!" Yang said while Weiss avoided looking at any of the screens. "There's a lot of people here and they want to see the coolest things we can do, so pull out all the stops - k, Blake?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm not one for showboating."

"Come on! You have to be a bit of an entertainer! People are watching!"

"That's what I have you for."

"But I've seen you do some insanely cool stuff! I only want everyone else to see a _teeny, tiny bit_ of how amazing you are."

When Yang smiled - that disarmingly genuine smile - Blake pursed her lips and half-heartedly tried to conceal how pleased the comments made her.

"No promises," was all she said, but Yang grinned as if it was a big 'yes.'

A resounding chorus of "oooooh"s swept through the room before a smattering of laughter and shakes of heads. From the reactions, someone must've just been eliminated by knockout. Essentially, if any team member's aura was fully depleted or if they exited the arena boundaries, the team automatically lost. It was an embarrassing way to exit the tournament - it was far better to run out of time than to be defeated.

When the loudspeaker buzzed to life and called for the second team, the members were already ready and waiting by the door - heading out to test their skills as cheers sent them on their way. As they disappeared into the hall, Weiss felt the mood in the room relax now that the Invite was underway. They all knew the drill from here, minus the newly-graduated teams and Ruby.

When Weiss glanced over, she found that Ruby was still searching around the room while biting at her bottom lip. Reading the expression of uncertainty at the same moment Weiss did, Yang stood up.

"Hey Ruby, come here a second."

When Ruby obediently stood too, Yang gave Weiss a small smile before wrapping one arm around Ruby's shoulders and leading her off to the side for a private conversation. Unable to hear what they were saying, Weiss nonetheless watched and attempted to figure out how it was going from their postures.

Yang was being supportive and one hand never dropped from Ruby's shoulder, while Ruby nodded every few seconds in understanding. When Yang stopped talking, Ruby said some brief words, smiled, and gave Yang a long hug before they came back. Unsure of how Ruby had received the news, Weiss shot a glance at Blake, trying to read her expression, but she wasn't giving anything away.

"Since we don't have any moves planned," Yang began while Ruby quietly returned to Weiss' side. "Let's do this a la CRDL - kill as many things as possible on your own and ask for help if you need it."

The game plan made Blake scoff.

"And they wonder why they never win…"

Weiss was too busy shooting glances at Ruby to join the conversation. Was Ruby upset? If she was, it was difficult to tell. How badly had she wanted her partner to show up? Would this ruin her time at the Invite?

Reaching up, Ruby briefly touched her necklace before catching Weiss' eyes.

"Are you alright?" Weiss immediately asked, unable to bear not knowing any longer.

"Uh, yeah, I guess, but...could I talk to you for a second?" Ruby asked in return, offering a hand that Weiss gladly took before being gently led away from Yang and Blake's prying eyes. The other huntsmen didn't seem to notice them either - their eyes were glued to the video screens while watching the battles play out. Every once in a while laughs or gasps of admiration were added to the distant sound of cheering that seemed to echo throughout the building.

Weiss' palms began sweating when she realized that this could be the moment. If she was going to tell Ruby, now would be the time. Forget whatever Yang had just told her - Weiss could tell Ruby the truth right now. She could look Ruby in the eye and say 'I'm the one you've been looking for' - potentially destroying everything they'd created in the process.

Before making any decision, she needed to listen to whatever Ruby wanted to say. Because there was clearly something Ruby wanted to say - made all the more apparent by the thoughtful expression she wore.

"Thank you for coming to watch," she said with a smile that didn't linger long.

"Of course, Ruby. I'm glad I could be here with you," Weiss replied, feeling like a boot was pressing down on her lungs when she watched Ruby's gaze sweep the room one more time before falling to the ground with a downcast air.

"Yang said she couldn't make it..."

"Ruby -" Weiss began to say, but her voice cut off before more words could make their way into existence.

She was afraid. She didn't know if she could tell Ruby the truth. What if it made Ruby hate her? What would be worse - for Ruby to not remember Weiss...or to hate her?

"It's ok," Ruby replied with a quick shrug. "I kinda figured it was short notice, but it'll still be fun to fight in front of all these people!"

No matter what the world threw her way, Ruby always found a reason to smile…

Glancing over her shoulder at the other huntsmen, Ruby suddenly seemed far more fidgety than usual - and that was saying something. But when she turned back to Weiss, it was with a big smile that didn't fit with the jitters.

"She didn't show up, but you did. That means a lot to me, Weiss."

Smiling weakly, Weiss tried to ignore the feeling of her heart painfully throbbing in her chest.

"Of course, Ruby," she whispered. "Anything for you…"

The gratitude wasn't deserved. What had she done to earn it? She'd come to Beacon, only to become a ghost when she was needed. She'd returned to Vale, only to hide behind anonymity.

How could she possibly go through with this? How could she let Ruby enter that arena without her?

"Team RWBY - please report to the arena lift. Team RWBY - up next."

Staring at the nearest speaker, Weiss opened her mouth but found she had no words to say.

Time had run out for them, just like it had the first time. She wanted so badly to be that person for Ruby again - the one who'd always be there - only to fail and fail and _fail_ to find the courage. Every choice she'd made since that fateful day in the forest had proven it over and over again - she was a coward when Ruby needed a hero.

"That's us!" Ruby announced before rubbing her palms together nervously. "This is it. I can do this. I can be a huntress, right?"

Hopefully, Weiss' smile was encouraging and didn't betray the multiplying distress threatening to overwhelm her.

"Of course you can. You can do anything, Ruby."

Pausing for a second, Ruby bit her lip before suddenly leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on Weiss' cheek. The action had hardly registered in Weiss' mind before Ruby rushed back to Blake and Yang - sending a wave over her shoulder as she went.

"Wish me luck! I'll see you right after!"

Weiss stood rooted to the floor for several seconds, her cheeks burning while her heart struggled to find a steady rhythm.

Had Ruby just...that had been real, hadn't it? Ruby had just...

The other huntsmen were particularly rowdy for Ruby, whooping and hollering while walking over to offer her high-fives by the exit - which she gladly whizzed around the room in a swirl of petals to collect. Walking past Weiss, Yang managed a meager thumbs up while Blake simply wore that concerned expression she had.

It hadn't seemed real until this very moment, but as her teammates' left her behind, reality began to sink in.

They were going to fight without her.

Knees weak, Weiss sat down on one of the benches and struggled to breathe as the raucous sendoff died down. No sooner had her teammates disappeared through the doorway could she feel eyes on her - their thoughts practically audible.

They all wanted to know the same answers - Why wasn't she following? Why was she staying behind? Was it true then? Had she left her team? How could she quit on her team? _A huntsman never quit on their team._

Abruptly standing, she raced towards the exit without another thought. Someone called her name, but she ignored whoever it was and kept running. And running, and running. Not even seeing the halls and corridors she sprinted through - just knowing that she needed to be anywhere but there.

It was only when she shoved through a door and found herself back in fresh air that she finally stopped - doubling over to put her hands on her knees while huffing out jagged breaths that felt like the beginnings of sobs. It hadn't been a long run, but her chest was constricting in fear and panic - hampering her ability to breathe. It felt like something was trying to crush her, while drowning her in the realization that she'd failed yet again.

But Ruby had kissed her. On the cheek, but Ruby had kissed her. They were close to recapturing a piece of what they'd once had. It would only take time.

For what cause though? Any relationship they had now would be built on lies - lies that would be impossible to keep forever. One day, Ruby would find out the truth. One day, Ruby would learn that Weiss had stood idly by and let them walk forward without her.

Focus. She needed to focus on taking deep breaths. Steady breaths. One long inhale, hold it until her lungs burned - let it out in one long, shaky exhale.

One…

Another deep inhale. Exhale slowly.

Two...

Straightening up, she continued to take slow breaths while trying to figure out what to do next. Briefly closing her eyes, her hand immediately went to the ring Ruby had made for her - the smooth metal sending a tendril of love through her veins. It was a 'just because' gift. Just because Ruby was sweet and considerate and selfless unlike anyone else Weiss had ever met.

A breeze kicked up outside - cold enough to raise goosebumps along her arms while she struggled with her internal demons.

She didn't want to lose Ruby.

She didn't want to lose what they'd managed to rebuild - like a phoenix rising from the ashes of their past life.

She didn't want to hurt Ruby be revealing the past, and the mistakes that had been made.

She.

She she she.

All of her reservations were based on what _she_ wanted and what _she_ didn't want. What about what Ruby wanted? What about what Ruby needed?

Ruby had such an easy-going nature that her needs and desires were often pushed aside in favor of the more vocal. When they'd been together, it had incensed Weiss whenever that happened. She'd gone out of her way to make sure Ruby got whatever she wanted, but this time _Weiss_ was the one actively avoiding Ruby's wishes. Even Yang had given her a pass. _Ruby_ would be disappointed, but as long as _Weiss_ was alright…

 _Ruby_ would think her partner didn't care about her. _Ruby_ would think that someone she'd spent four years training with couldn't be bothered to show up for a couple of hours on one day.

But _Weiss_ would be fine.

The realization made her stomach turn.

When had she lost sight of what it meant to be selfless? When had Ruby's wants become secondary to her own?

Ruby _needed_ her now. Not the person she was today, but the person she'd once been. Ruby needed her partner to be here. For once, Weiss needed to put aside her doubts and do something for Ruby - something that scared the living daylights out of her. She appreciated Yang and Blake's concern, but…

She wasn't that broken.

Seconds later, her weapon locker crashed into the ground by her feet. Grabbing Myrtenaster, she turned and sprinted back the way she'd just come, bursting into the waiting room and racing through to the other side without acknowledging anyone there. Flying into the hallway beyond, she followed the arrows leading towards the platform underneath the arena floor.

Mistakes don't define you. Your reactions to them do.

She'd made mistakes - more than she cared to count - and she'd run from them. But that wasn't who she was. That wasn't who she had to be. She could choose her own reaction - she could choose how she would be defined from here on out.

She wouldn't live a lie. If Ruby wanted this piece of her past to come back, then it would come back. Weiss would come back.

Sliding around a corner, she found her team up ahead - already standing on the platform that would raise them into the arena. They were looking away from her, with Yang wrapping one arm around Ruby's shoulders and holding Blake's hand with her other.

 _You're running to Ruby_ , Weiss reminded herself as a line of glyphs shot her down the hallway at breakneck speed.

 _Ruby needs you right now. Don't think about anything else - Ruby needs you. All those times she needed you, and you weren't there - that will never happen again. Because that's not who you are. That's not who you're going to be._

Nora's voice blared over the speakers, chattering away while Ren's low drawl paced in between. The audience laughed at something they said - the rolling sound coming from right above their heads.

Ruby needed Weiss before, and she hadn't been there. She wouldn't let her partner down again. She would do anything for Ruby. Which meant she would do this.

A loud _clunk_ echoed off the walls as the platform unlocked and began to rise. Springing off the last glyph, Weiss catapulted herself onto the edge behind her teammates - her chest rising and falling with deep breaths of apprehension as they were lifted towards the arena floor.

The crowd cheered louder - their team had just been announced - but the noise was a distant din compared to her heartbeat in her ears when her teammates noticed her presence and turned towards her. Spotlights suddenly hit them from above, but her eyes were flooded by silver.

"Weiss?"


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys, doing this really quickly before I need to leave - hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Weiss?" Ruby asked as the platform locked in place - her feet giving a little jolt against the ground as it did so.

Glancing at the new environment, she found that the platform they'd taken into the arena was now a seamless part of the battlefield - which was nothing more than a massive oval covered in large, white tiles that shimmered with hidden energy. Surrounding them were huge risers that towered into the sky. The seats of those risers were filled with spectators - most of whom were on their feet as loud cheers rained down to the arena floor - whistles, claps, shouts, and everything in between.

The seemingly never-ending cheers kickstarted Ruby's adrenaline and filling her with an urge to fight and be _awesome_ for everyone in attendance. She was ready to do her best - no matter how good or bad that might be.

But, she was also confused as heck. Because why was Weiss here?

Oh.

Well, duh. _Of course_ Weiss came to take their teammate's place. Why had it taken Ruby so long to figure that out? It was exactly the type of gesture she expected from Weiss - who was, without a doubt, one of the sweetest people in existence.

As her heart swelled with gratitude for the girl standing in front of her, she smiled.

Who cared if her partner was too busy to make the trip? Weiss showed up like she always did. Whenever Ruby needed something, Weiss was there to be supportive or encouraging or just really, _really_ pretty to look at. Those were only some of the reasons Ruby liked her so much.

And honestly, she'd rather spend time with Weiss anyway.

"You're gonna fight with us?" she asked, taking a step forward and reaching out. But this time, unlike all the previous times, Weiss didn't move closer. Instead, she stood rigidly in place and never broke Ruby's gaze.

 _"_ _Oh look!"_ one of the announcers shouted from above their heads, making Ruby looked up in surprise to find groups of large speakers placed around the giant arena. _"The whole team's here! Put the photo up on the screen, Ren!"_

The whole team?

 _"_ _I'm not in charge of that -"_

 _"_ _Someone put the photo up! Team RWBY is back!"_

What did they mean by the whole team?

"Weiss?" she asked again, taking a step closer only for Weiss to remain fixed in place and nod to something above Ruby's head - towards the ceiling of the stadium. Following Weiss' gaze, Ruby found a video screen hanging high above them with 'TEAM RWBY' emblazoned on it for the audience to see - with a video clip playing underneath showing -

The four of them.

Wait, it was RWBY? Not RUBY?

W...as in, Weiss?

W as in _what?_

 _"_ _Yes! Ok, I wanna do the intro - let me do the intro, Ren! We have the fiery Yang Xiao Long in yellow, and her feisty partner, Blake Belladonna, in black. I'll tell ya - don't make EITHER of them mad."_

 _"_ _You would know, Nora…"_

A ripple of laughter rolled through the crowd as the announcers' voices echoed from the loudspeakers. But Ruby found it _just a little bit_ difficult to focus on what they were saying because...the video...it was kind of showing...

 _"_ _And thennn we have the super poised Weiss Schnee in white, and her partner, aka team captain extraordinaire - the one, the only, the super speedy, Ruby Roseeeee!"_

The crowd erupted in cheers at her name - their applause becoming a wall of movement that blurred together around her. But what she'd just heard - Weiss Schnee in white. Her partner -

 _"_ _This year we're not giving you guys any cover!"_ the girl announcer explained before laughing gleefully. _"There's nowhere to hiiiiideeee!"_

 _"_ _The first round will be Beowolves -"_

 _"_ _And they look hungry!"_

On cue, Beowolves began materializing from thin air around the edge of the circular platform Ruby was standing upon. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty - too many to count. The creatures let out growls and howls that sent shivers of anticipation down Ruby's spine while the crowd gasped. A large timer appeared on the video screen, counting down from thirty to the beginning of the first round.

Cool, Beowolves, but that was _nothing_ compared to what she'd just learned.

Even though there were hundreds of Grimm and thousand and thousands of people watching, the only person she cared about was Weiss. And Weiss was watching her closely - her eyes never leaving Ruby while waiting for a reaction. On the outside, Weiss looked calm, but Ruby could see that her free hand - the one not clutching Myrtenaster - was trembling.

Glancing up again, Ruby took a good look at the video playing on a loop above their heads. That was her - and that was Yang - and that was Blake - and that was definitely Weiss…

"I'm sorry I'm late," Weiss finally called out, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. "This wasn't how I wanted you to find out, but...it took me a while to find the courage to be here. I hope you can forgive me."

It was true?

"Wait," Ruby said, shaking her head in disbelief. All the signs pointed at one conclusion, but sometimes it was smart just to come out and bluntly ask. " _You're_ our teammate?"

All this time it was Weiss? But that didn't make sense!

Or did it?

Raising Myrtenaster to just below eye level, Weiss gave a tense, sad smile while the audience counted down from five.

"The best teammate you ever had," she said softly before racing towards the Beowolves when the timer reached two.

Dumbstruck, Ruby turned to Yang for answers or...something. But Yang just shrugged and tapped Ruby on the shoulder as the timer reached zero and the Beowolves lunged forward in unison.

"Come on, Ruby - let's show 'em you haven't lost a step."

Pounding her fists together, Yang raced off to engage the nearest pack of Grimm, leaving Ruby to turn to Blake for advice.

"Fight now, talk later," Blake recommended before tearing off after Yang.

Fight? How was Ruby supposed to fight right now?

The first Beowolf to reach her lunged towards her head, but she cut it down in two quick moves.

"You guys!" she whined as the next Beowolf disappeared just as easily. Defending herself on autopilot, she searched for Weiss at the other end of the arena.

Weiss. Her partner.

Three Grimm leapt towards Ruby at once, forcing her to use her semblance to spin herself in a series of rapid circles that caught them all in her blade. Without Thorn, that move had been impossible because the force of the motion tore Crescent Rose from her grasp - now it was as easy as eating pie.

Turning in a half circle, she launched her weapon into a crowd of approaching Beowolves, watched them disappear, then summoned her weapon back to her. Catching Crescent Rose in one hand, she swept low then high to dispatch a group of Grimm that thought they'd gotten the drop on her. They hadn't, obviously, because now they were dead. Er - or gone.

Even though this was a simulation, it was lifelike enough to get her adrenaline pumping. And with her adrenaline pumping, it felt like she was prepared to fight a war on this slick and empty arena floor.

Maybe fighting would be easy. So what if a bomb had just been dropped on her life? She could focus on the enemies. That wouldn't be hard to do, especially with the swarms of fake Beowolves in all directions. Plus, she loved fighting with Weiss! Maybe because -

Nope. Focus, Ruby. The fight!

Picking a clump of Beowolves, she blasted into them and sliced them to bits in seconds. More replaced them as soon as they fell, but that only meant there were more for her to kill!

The simulated Grimm looked real - and their movements were real - but when they were destroyed it became obvious this wasn't real at all. A cloud of black didn't disappear into the air like in the wild, but instead the Grimm shattered into shimmering pixels that vanished in far less time. The effect was actually pretty cool - it was like a shower of silver confetti!

Letting a group of five surround her, she jumped in the air and used her semblance to blast herself in circles - extending Crescent Rose to create a circumference of death. A shower of silver glitter burst into the air before her feet even touched the ground.

Beowolves were pieces of cake. Not literally, although that'd be much more scrumptious. But they were easy to slice through - like butter! With every jab and pull and spin, more fell. More replaced them, but then they fell as well.

In a brief interlude, Ruby picked out her teammates to make sure no one needed help. Blake and Yang were fighting together, and Weiss - Weiss froze a line of eight Grimm to the ground before using a glyph to shoot through them like an arrow.

So cool. That was Ruby's partner.

Oh! Should she be fighting next to Weiss, like Yang was with Blake? The plan had been everyone for themselves, but partners stuck together, right?

Spooling up her semblance, she decided that maybe she'd take a lap around the arena and see if Weiss needed any help. It was pretty obvious that she didn't, but Ruby could still offer, right?

Crouching her knees before blasting towards the nearest Beowolf, she destroyed it with a single slash of Crescent Rose before continuing in an arcing path that swept her through as many Grimm as possible before nearing the side of the platform Weiss had on lockdown.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby noticed a huge group of Beowolves spawn in the middle of the map and race towards Yang and Blake. Figuring that her sister had that situation under control, Ruby cut through another Beowolf and flew towards an isolated group of three at full speed.

Lifting Crescent Rose into an attack position, Ruby was just about to take care of this last section of Grimm when they suddenly disappeared - and left Weiss standing in their place.

Slamming on the brakes, Ruby tried and failed to stop in time - and collided with Weiss instead. Not hard enough to knock her over or anything! But hard enough that it was a weird forced hug of sorts.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ruby mumbled while quickly separating herself from Weiss and blushing profusely.

That had been _a lot_ of touching…

"It's alright," Weiss replied with a blush of her own before briefly turning away and scanning for more enemies - although there were none nearby since she'd just cleaned up the last of them without Ruby's delayed attempt to help.

After staring at each other for a second too long, they both flinched in surprise when a massive explosion shook the arena. Turning towards the sound, Ruby watched a giant fireball shooting into the air - taking the rest of the Beowolves with it while a loud chime rang out. Glancing up, she saw that their countdown timer had stopped as well.

Apparently, the Grimm got a little too close to Yang.

 _"_ _Kaboom! I told you not to make her angry!"_

"Er...good job!" Ruby said to Weiss while Blake and Yang regrouped with them for the next stage.

Wow, she felt awkward. About as awkward as Weiss currently looked while rubbing at her elbow.

"Thank you…"

Ruby's focus had been so tunneled in on the Grimm that her attention to the rest of the stadium had faded to the background. Now that the enemies were gone, the noise of the crowd came back to her ears - cheering and clapping and whistles of appreciation.

 _"_ _This one time I beat Yang in an arm-wrestling competition. She was so mad, she pushed over a wall in the cafeteria!"_

 _"_ _Nora, that was you."_

 _"_ _I demand a rematch!"_

When the crowd laughed, Yang chuckled - her eyes still red from battle as she swung her arms back and forth.

"How're you doing?" she asked Ruby.

How was she doing? Well, there was that whole Weiss thing, but when they only had thirty seconds until the next round started - time that was already ticking away - right now didn't seem like the best moment to talk about that.

"That was great!" she said instead, focusing on the fight and not all that other stuff.

She'd been worried about making a fool of herself or getting them disqualified in the first round, but they'd made it through no problem! And now her veins were practically vibrating with energy. So much adrenaline! That first round hadn't been bad either - it was actually pretty easy!

 _"_ _Team RWBY breezes through round one, as expected."_

 _"_ _I'd say Team RWBY_ 'schneezed' _through round one!"_

 _"_ _No, Nora. We're not doing that today."_

"What's next?" Ruby asked while bouncing on her toes. She was ready for more pretend Grimm - or something to keep her mind occupied for a bit longer.

Low, dangerous growls were her answer - the deep rumblings causing the crowd to collectively draw in a breath. Pumping one fist, Yang then pointed over Ruby's shoulder.

"Hell yeah! Ursa!"

On the bright side, at least _someone_ was excited to see the rows and rows of giant, towering Grimm with cinder blocks for paws. Seriously, their claws were probably longer than Ruby's arm. Ok, that was an exaggeration, but not by much!

"Those are big…" she muttered to herself, clutching Crescent Rose in anticipation while the Ursa shook their heads and sniffed the air before letting out more growls that sounded really, really angry.

Big was only a good thing when used to describe pieces of cake or bowls of ice cream. Big Grimm usually meant powerful Grimm. And powerful Grimm meant hard to kill Grimm.

"They're clumsy and slow."

Turning to her right, Ruby was surprised to find Weiss standing near her elbow. Not _too_ close, but close enough that it would look like they were standing together to an outside observer.

Because they _were_ standing together! And why was it surprising that Weiss was here? Of course she was here! She'd come to fight with Ruby, just like Ruby wanted.

But she'd also wanted to meet her partner - which she'd already done like forever ago when Weiss showed up at dinner.

Ugh. This was so confusing.

"Uh, well I hope so!" Ruby replied, sparing a quick glance towards the rapidly disappearing time until the potentially-deadly Grimm decided standing around wasn't fun anymore.

Turning to the side, Weiss gave Ruby a small smile.

"Use your semblance to get behind them, and you'll be just fine. Promise."

Wow, that was super easy. With one simple promise, Weiss wiped most of Ruby's nerves away. Of course, she already knew how Ruby should handle the Grimm because - yeah, nevermind that for now. Use her semblance, get behind them. Sounded like a piece of cake!

"Thank you, Weiss!" she replied with a grin. Her gratitude was genuine, but Weiss responded with only a half smile before turning her full attention to the Ursa horde in front of them.

If the Ursa were clumped together like this, that probably meant that as soon as the round started…

When a chime rang out, the Ursa did exactly what Ruby expected - meaning they all charged forward as one giant wall of angry Grimm. One Ursa was intimidating...this army was formidable, to say the least.

"I'll keep their attention. You guys get behind 'em!" Yang shouted over the growls and thumps of stampeding feet.

She had no idea how Yang was going to 'keep their attention' by herself, but she trusted that her sister knew what she was doing. Seeing no other options, Ruby did what Weiss suggested - searching for an opportunity to sprint through the oncoming Grimm. Her eyes were glued to the incoming horde while looking for a sliver of an opening that she could burst through without getting caught between two or more Ursa. The opening didn't have to be very big. It only needed to be enough for her to slip through - there!

Darting forward, she squeezed her way through the first two rows of Ursa before skipping to the side when the Grimm in back blocked her original path. For the briefest of moments, she was stuck in the center of a deadly mass of claws and glowing red eyes, but the back rows presented an alternate path that she took without hesitation. Brushing past several Ursa, almost knocked off balance by several more, she managed to make it through unharmed.

Well, almost unharmed. Their awful stench hurt her nose! That was one added bit of realism she could've gone without. The sounds were great and the designs were awesome, but did they really have to add the smells?

The second she found fresh air, she slammed Crescent Rose into the ground and propelled herself through a quick about-face. Tightening Thorn when the momentum attempted to separate her from her weapon, she released perfectly and kicked up her feet as she flew forward - drilling into an unsuspecting Ursa's back. At the speed she was going, there was enough force in the blow to knock the Ursa into the one in front - three of them colliding and tumbling to the ground like bowling pins. Strike!

Huh...maybe it'd be cool to have drills or some kind of weapon in the bottom of her boots to do more damage!

One of the Ursa in the back of the crowd noticed her, so there was no time to think through that idea before engaging the creature. As expected, Weiss' advice was spot on - they were slow and kind of dumb. Ruby was a lot faster.

Ducking under a huge paw flying towards her head, she burst behind the Ursa so quickly that it nearly tumbled to the ground just trying to track her movement. WIth the creature off balance and exposed, it only took five perfectly-placed blows to send silver sprinkles into the air.

That was her _first_ real-fake Ursa kill!

Most of the Grimm had continued to Yang, who was managing to hold them at bay while Weiss, Blake, and Ruby thinned them out from behind. She had no idea how Blake and Weiss had gotten through the horde, but they must've catapulted over somehow. Could they jump that far? Blake probably could.

Solving that mystery would have to wait because what mattered right now was killing Grimm as fast as possible. That was _definitely_ something Ruby could do! And, since they were only simulations, she didn't need to be concerned about her health! Well, she should be a _little_ worried...she didn't want to get knocked out of the round by doing something stupid, but for the most part she could fly around killing Grimm with everything she had!

One Ursa, two Ursa, three Ursa, four. Distracted by Yang, the big Grimm were surprisingly easy to get rid of, and their ranks dwindled by the second.

Now Ruby understood how Yang planned to hold their attention - by allowing them to surround her then relying on her strength to physically push them back. It seemed just a _little_ dangerous, but she was handling it ok so far! Plus, at the rate they were moving - with Blake and Weiss knocking down one Ursa after the next - Yang only needed to hold out a little longer...

In the middle of zipping around, then through, another Ursa, Ruby suddenly felt her feet skip unnaturally across the ground while hearing a weird _clank-_ ing noise beneath them.

What the heck was that?

"Ruby!" Blake shouted over the sound of Ursa growls before ducking underneath a paw. "The arena's going to spin! Hold onto something!"

"Spin?"

That didn't make any sense, but Ruby still tried to search for something while also dodging a _huge_ set of claws hurtling towards her head. What was there to hold onto though? The entire platform was nothing but flat, white, super-smooth panels.

In crazy unison, her teammates all skipped away from the Ursa - Yang jumping and planting both feet into a poor Ursa's face before propelling herself out of the crowd. Blake immediately plunged Gambol into the ground while Yang landed a safe distance away and punched her arm through the floor. Weiss used Myrtenaster to create her own lever to hold onto.

By the time Ruby thought to use Crescent Rose, her feet had flown out from underneath her and she hit the floor - sticking her arms out at the last instant to soften her fall and keep her from potentially breaking her jaw. The remaining Ursa had also fallen over - not that it mattered because the next second she was sailing off the edge of the arena towards the risers filled with people.

The Ursa instantly disappeared once they slipped from the platform, but Ruby wasn't bound by whatever program ran the show. Nope. She flew right towards the crowds - until an ice white glyph appeared directly in her path. Without thinking, she spun, planted her boots squarely on the glyph, and rocketed back to the arena.

Just like the grapes had done!

And, just like the grapes, she was now shooting entirely-too-fast towards the still-spinning platform.

She tried to stick the landing, but all she ended up doing was tumbling forward before sliding towards the other edge of the arena. With no leverage to use Crescent Rose, she tightened Thorn's fingers - causing an awful screeching sound to rip through the air until the reinforced metal broke through the floor panels and stuck tight. Locking Thorn in place, she hung on until the world finally slowed to a stop.

Of course, _her_ world was still spinning when she got to her feet. After taking one wobbly step forward, she stopped and leaned on Crescent Rose for balance. Her ears were still working though! Fine enough that she could hear applause over the sound of one of the announcers giggling.

 _"_ _They had NO idea that was coming!"_

 _"_ _Ruby almost flew into the stands, but got last-second help from her partner."_

Upon hearing the word, Ruby immediately sought out Weiss - finding that she was walking over to join them. Each step looked like it was measured, as if she was trying not to stumble like Ruby knew she would if she tried to walk right now. Blake was walking normally, of course, but her balance was crazy good. And Yang was stumbling, but she made it to Ruby first.

"Should've known it wouldn't be that easy," Yang huffed while dusting debris from her hand.

"That's probably what got the first team," Blake added before her eyes drifted up to the clock and then back to Yang. "We need to be ready for it to happen again. Or else Ruby will get to say 'hello' to her fans."

"I mean, that's fine with me! But I'd rather no land in someone's nachos!" Ruby answered before laughing and turning to a rather silent Weiss. "Thanks for the assist, Weiss. You really saved me there!"

"Of course, Ruby," Weiss answered with a smile and small nod.

"This is pretty easy!" Ruby observed, avoiding _that_ topic while swinging Crescent Rose from side-to-side. "I kinda thought we'd get knocked out already!"

"The first two rounds are usually easy. This is where it gets interesting."

As Blake spoke, two giant creatures began to form on the arena floor - one on either side of them. Coiled like garden hoses, the Grimm grew larger and larger by the second. Their identity was revealed when unmistakable forked tongues, huge fangs, and red eyes appeared. Ruby's own eyes followed the snakeheads as they rose high into the air, towering above the arena floor and weaving back and forth while locking onto her and her teammates as prey.

"Oh...my...god…" she breathed out.

It was a King Taijitu. Two of them. And they were _huge_. Like really, really, _really_ huge.

 _"_ _Ohhh Ruby loves these!"_

Ruby turned towards the speakers - the source of the commentary - before looking back at the snake in front of her.

"I don't think so…" she muttered to herself.

How could she possibly love these things? They made her skin crawl. And look at them! There was nothing lovable about them. Ursa were kind of cuddly, like bears. Beowolves had the whole 'somewhat relatable to dogs in a weird way' thing going on. King Taijitus had none of that. They were scaley, and big, and had two freaking heads!

"Split up?" Yang suggested, looking to Ruby for approval. "You guys take one - Blake and I take the other?"

When Ruby numbly nodded, Yang grinned and slapped her on the back of her shoulder. A little hard, but that was only because Yang was so amped up right now.

"We'll take the left!"

"They're fast. Be careful," Blake added before turning towards the left King Taijitu with Yang.

 _"_ _Goooo Ruby! Tie 'em in knots!"_

The chime sounded, the round started, and Ruby watched the snakes slither forward. But they approached far more cautiously than the Ursa or Beowolves had. So...they were bigger, faster, _and_ smarter.

Eh, so that confidence she'd just been feeling was now gone!

"They're fast, but you're faster," Weiss said quietly while they watched and waited. "You can do this, Ruby."

Without another word, Weiss slid smoothly to one side, drawing the attention of the white snake's head. The black snake remained focused on Ruby - unnervingly, unblinkingly focused. When she took a step to one side, the head moved with her. Moving to the other side, again it followed. Unlike the Ursa and Beowolves, this Grimm was waiting for her to attack first. It wasn't going to throw itself at her willy-nilly - it was strategizing as much as she was.

Which was interesting. That meant she'd have to outthink it. This wasn't just plowing through Grimm fodder - this was a game of who's smarter. That _did_ make this a bit more fun than the first two rounds - strategery was always fun!

When Weiss was in place on the opposite side of Ruby, the King Taijitu stopped moving with both heads trained on them. They were standing just outside of where the snakes could lash out and reach them. At least, she _hoped_ they were standing far enough away.

But time was wasting away. They needed to get this done fast, but she didn't want to rush into anything and get destroyed! The sound of shotgun blasts rang out from behind her, interspersed with rapid bullets and an occasional hiss of anger while the crowd cheered in earnest. Yang and Blake had just engaged their King T. - now it was time for Ruby to stop waiting!

Tie them in knots...actually, that was a good idea. If they were fast, maybe they were _too_ fast. That was a problem she had a lot of the time. That's why she ran into stuff a lot (at least, that's the excuse she used).

With red eyes trained on her, she began jogging in a slow circle around the beast. The eyes followed as the head swiveled to track her progress. The white snake's head hardly acknowledged her when she passed behind Weiss, but the black snake trailed her the entire time. Perfect.

Picking up the pace for the next lap and moving within striking distance, Ruby kept a lookout for the incoming attack out of the corner of the eye. Another lap was made without incident, so she moved even closer and hoped that Weiss understood what she was trying to do. The bait had to be perfectly timed…

Fangs suddenly shot out towards her - faster than she'd expected, but thankfully not fast enough that she couldn't blast forward out of the way. The King Taijitu flew past behind her and immediately turned to follow as she raced towards Weiss.

Right on cue - even though there'd been no cue - Weiss feinted forward and taunted the white head into an attack. When it flashed forward, both of them dove out of the way and the two heads collided together with a smack. Rolling back to her feet, Ruby briefly smiled when the sound of laughter reached her ears - but there wasn't time for much else as the giant snake struggled to reorient itself, shaking both heads and hissing in very loud, very scary anger.

"Don't give it time!" Weiss shouted while sending streams of red Dust towards the eyes to prevent them from locking on again. Nodding, Ruby raced towards the creature at its nearest point to her - prepared to attack.

That's when she heard it again - a _clank_ as her feet stuttered against the ground.

This time she reacted instantly, slamming Crescent Rose into the ground and locking Thorn in place as the floor suddenly spun in the opposite direction as before. This instance was much shorter than the first, and she released herself the second the platform stopped - timing it perfectly and propelling herself straight towards the white King Taijitu with Crescent Rose raised in greeting. The Grimm jerked backward as she slashed at it - making her miss by mere inches before her feet jumped again.

Leaping away as a set of fangs whipped past her ear, she waited until the last possible second to plant Crescent Rose in the ground as the arena spun - using the momentum to swing herself around and launch herself back to the creature the instant she'd lined up the perfect trajectory.

The arena was still in motion - the King Taijitus ducking their heads while spinning in a rapid circle - and Ruby was now flying through the air as one of the creatures unwittingly approached her path.

A matter of milliseconds before they collided together, one red eye locked onto her and immediately attacked. A giant mouth snapped towards her - jaws open, fangs fully extended.

Drawing Crescent Rose back, she flung the weapon forward and watched it slice through the soft, exposed skin of the Grimm's inner mouth. Immediately recalling her weapon, a second blow was delivered from behind as Crescent Rose shot back to her and a last-second blast of ice shoved the white head to the side before she ended up inside its mouth.

As the white side of the King Taijitu began to fall, Ruby caught Crescent Rose and spun in the air to strike out at the black head pursuing her while she fell to the ground.

At least she'd been _planning_ to attack, but a white blur shot through the snake's head from below and sent a shower of silver in the air as Ruby landed and slid a step backward before everything came to a complete stop. A few seconds later, Weiss dropped from the sky and landed in a crouch with Myrtenaster still at the ready.

She looked _so cool_. Like a huntress from the movies or something. It was rude to stare, but Ruby couldn't help it. Weiss was so poised and pretty and awesome!

After briefly glancing at Ruby, Weiss turned to the other side of the arena. Ruby's gaze followed to find that the other Grimm was already half crippled and had somehow gotten one of its fangs stuck in Yang's grasp. While it struggled to escape, Blake sent a flurry of blows to cut it down. In a matter of seconds, she must've hit the beast hundreds of times - and she could've done even more if it hadn't disappeared in a cloud of glitter an instant later.

But they were done. They'd done it! The crowd was cheering and everything!

"That wasn't so bad!" she told Weiss, both of them breathing a little heavily from exertion. When Weiss smiled in return, this time it was a _real_ smile.

"I knew you could do it."

"Not without you! Teamwork!" Giving a little hop of joy and a grin, for a split second it felt like nothing had changed. It wasn't until Yang and Blake rejoined them that Ruby remembered that _tiny_ little bombshell from a few minutes ago. But this was still awesome and fun! And she was glad Weiss was here versus some stranger. Plus, they made a good team - what with Weiss pretty awesomely taking out that King Taijitu right when Ruby had caused enough distraction that it was vulnerable.

 _"_ _Team RWBY has little problem with the arena this time - dispatching those King Taijitus easily."_

 _"_ _They need to spin the floor faster! Can they do that? Can I be in charge of that?"_

 _"_ _For the safety of our contestants, I'm going to say no -"_

 _"_ _Oh nevermind, I thought of one! The 'RW' part of Team RWBY will make you 'rue' the day you messed with them!"_

 _"_ _Really, Nora?"_

"This is fun!" Ruby said, bouncing up and down while the announcers bantered and the clock rapidly ticked down to the next round. Not having any type of cover was a little weird but made things more interesting. And the spinning was actually pretty cool now that she knew when it would happen! Plus, the simulated Grimm were just awesome in general. Could they get one of these things in their backyard? She wanted to fight Grimm at home! That'd be the best thing ever! Although it might freak the neighbors out...

 _"_ _Ren, I've been wondering - could they 'BY' anymore ferocious?"_

 _"_ _Alright - time for round four."_

"How do you think we're doing on time?" Yang asked while glancing at the clock, slightly breathless.

"We're not going to have much left."

"Damn. What's next? I wasn't paying attention."

Yang was still speaking when their next enemies materialized on one end of the arena. The yellow stingers held high in the air immediately gave the creatures away - Death Stalkers - a lot of them. Big ones, too. As soon as they were fully formed, their claws clacked together in anticipation while they shuffled side-to-side on those strange rows of tiny legs. A few whipped their stingers forward like they were warming up - the speed enough to send an audible snap through the air. Their thick armor plating was pristinely white and marked with veins of glowing red.

Almost _too_ perfectly marked, but that didn't make them any less intimidating. They were big. And something about that clacking sound made Ruby's stomach turn.

"Weiss…" Yang said, her voice carrying that same warning tone Ruby recognized from whenever she was thinking about doing something stupid.

"You've got them," Weiss replied, lowering Myrtenaster while Blake and Yang flew across the field when the chime rang out. Ruby watched in dumbfounded awe as the Death Stalkers tried to swarm and collapse on the two girls, but between Yang's fists beating them back and Blake's shadow clones and ribbon twisting Yang about, the Grimm could never get a drop on the pair.

The crowd roared when Yang grabbed ahold of one of the stingers and Blake seamlessly separated it from the creature before Yang slammed it into another.

But while they were fighting, Weiss seemed perfectly content to stay on the far side of the arena. Which was confusing. Why would Weiss want to stay here? Ruby wanted in on the action! Her adrenaline was still running full force, but she also didn't feel like she could leave Weiss' side. They were partners! In every sense of the word!

Undecided, Ruby turned back and forth several times while weighing her options. They were running out of time, but Weiss wasn't moving! Leave her here and help Blake and Yang? Or stay here until Weiss decided to move?

"You want to go?" Weiss finally asked, turning towards Ruby with a knowing expression.

"Uh...yeah, kinda," she answered honestly. There were Grimm to be killed, and she wanted to do the killing.

Nodding, Weiss placed her palms together and briefly closed her eyes. A glyph spun around her feet before swirling into the air in between them; another one appeared further away towards the Death Stalkers. When Weiss opened her eyes and looked at Ruby, it was with eyes clearer than she'd ever seen.

"Want to try something new?"

There was a hint of a smile on Weiss' lips as she tilted her head towards the glyph. Grinning at the invitation, Ruby bent her knees, spooled her semblance, and rocketed towards it.

Weiss' glyphs were like beautiful works of art with so many hidden secrets. What Ruby knew about them was that they could bounce grapes really well, kept her from flying into crowds of people, and allowed Weiss to move around like she was on skates.

Now it was time to find out what they could really do!

Leaping through the air as she approached the first glyph, she tucked her legs and spun around to land her feet squarely in the center. Bouncing off, her speed increased - like finding a nice, smooth patch of ice to slide across...only ten times better.

Quickly understanding the potential, she pushed her semblance harder towards the next glyph Weiss had created - this one leading Ruby directly to the nearest Death Stalker. This time as she spun and planted her boots firmly on the glyph, she pulled Crescent Rose in front of her while preparing to strike.

The poor, poor Grimm never saw the attack coming. It was only after Ruby flew past and struck out with Crescent Rose that the creature lashed out at her with its stinger, but she was already headed in the opposite direction thanks to the second glyph Weiss had prepared. Another attack, and another. It took five total blows to the creature's underbelly before it disappeared in silver confetti.

And that was Ruby's first real-fake Death Stalker kill! Courtesy of Weiss Schnee, the incredible glyph-maker.

There was no time to rest though - because Ruby was already blazing towards the next closest Grimm. Bouncing between Weiss' glyphs like a super fast pinball, Ruby sliced and diced the Death Stalkers wherever she saw the chance.

With Weiss guiding the way, Ruby never had to think about where to go next - the only thing she had to do was find the next glyph, which Weiss had already placed in the perfect location.

And Ruby was _flying_. So fast. Her semblance was spraying rose petals like a fire hose sprayed water. Really, how was Weiss even able to track anything at this speed? She must have some crazy fast mental reflexes.

Crazy fast and crazy _perfect_. The Death Stalkers never even came _close_ to touching Ruby, but she got close to them! Their unarmored underbelly was ordinarily tricky to get to, but at the pace she was going there were inevitably opportunities that opened up - like when they raised up in the air and tried to snatch her with their giant claws. Precisely at moments like those, Weiss zipped Ruby down to the ground and flew her underneath for several deadly blows before whisking her away.

This must be how Yang felt using Blake's ribbons - the ability to change directions on a dime was awesome and so helpful! Plus, there was this...trust might be the best word. Trusting that Weiss was making the best strategic decision from afar, all Ruby had to worry about was what was directly in front of her.

Attack, get to the next glyph, attack. It was so easy. Maybe that was one of the reasons having a partner was so awesome.

For every destroyed Grimm, the crowd cheered - loud enough to briefly break through Ruby's concentration as a tiny blip on her radar. Knowing that people were watching only made her want to be even better and go even faster.

Now she understood what Yang had been walking about - they were here to impress! They were here to show how skilled they were so that everyone could sleep at night. Have no fear - huntsmen were here!

Spurring her semblance into an even higher gear, Ruby pinged through the glyphs like she was on fire - destroying Death Stalkers in the process. The angles Weiss chose were _perfect_. Some were clever; others were straight genius. A lot of them Ruby wouldn't have seen from so close to the battle, but Weiss saw each tiny window and sent Ruby to exploit it. The gaps were sometimes microscopic, but they were quick, efficient, and deadly.

Halfway between two Death Stalkers, something caught Ruby's attention out of the corner of her eye. When the crowd collectively drew its breath, she knew it was something worth watching.

Risking a peek towards the shape, her jaw dropped as a giant soldier formed out of thin air - towering above the arena with his massive sword clutched in one hand. His white armor shimmered majestically, while his posture was poised and ready for whatever would be thrown his way.

Ronnie - the name Blake suggested. It made Ruby grin just to see him - with his goofy, not-at-all scary name. He was still the coolest thing she'd ever seen.

Suddenly, the glyphs rotated and led Ruby directly toward the soldier, whizzing past Grimm and drawing more and more attention as she went. The creatures turned and snapped out at her, but never caught more than air and maybe a few petals left in her dust. There was a strong urge in her chest to keep engaging the Grimm, but she trusted Weiss and followed the glyphs anyway. With a tumbling horde of skittering feet on her heels, she was bringing a small army of the Death Stalkers directly to Weiss' soldier. He was going to do something cool, right? Had to be.

As she approached, running straight towards him at full speed, he bent down on one knee and held one giant palm open for her. Not even blinking, she hit the brakes and slid right into his hand. Now, running into the clutches of a giant wasn't _usually_ recommended, but this was Weiss! Er, Ronnie! Ruby trusted both of them completely.

The next second, her feet were jerked from the ground, and she was given a light toss back the way she'd just come. 'Light toss'...it sent her soaring at least fifty feet above the ground while Ronnie smoothly stood and took a wide swing at the Death Stalkers underneath her feet. Twisting her body around in midair, Ruby saw that she was going to land behind the Grimm - whose attention was now solely drawn to Weiss' soldier.

They'd lost track of Ruby flipping behind them. Brilliant.

Landing in a crouch and sliding several feet backward before coming to a stop, Ruby hardly had time to straighten before two blurs shot past her. With the Death Stalkers preoccupied, Blake and Yang were taking advantage of the weakness.

And Ronnie served as an excellent distraction - absorbing the Death Stalker's attacks similar to what Yang had done with the Ursa. The Grimm tried to crowd around him, snapping their stingers forward like whips while clambering over each other to try to catch him in their grasp.

Bursting forward with her semblance, Ruby caught up to Yang and Blake - then the three of them plowed into the Death Stalkers from behind. By the time the creatures noticed them, it was already too late.

Or it _would_ have been too late if Ruby hadn't suddenly felt a great weight press down on her shoulders, nearly forcing her to the floor.

Without warning, the arena shot straight up into the air - the upward momentum nearly plastering her and her teammates to the ground with a slew of Death Stalkers slowly turning towards them.

As abruptly as the feeling had appeared, it disappeared. The weight vanished, and suddenly Ruby was floating - her feet leaving the ground as she was left suspended in midair. Briefly looking around, she found that they were outside of the arena now - high enough that she could see all of Beacon's grounds in the distance.

Weightlessness only lasted for a second before she was falling - chasing the arena floor back to its starting point. That'd be all well and good if she was falling by herself, but the Death Stalkers were still close - close enough that they could lash out with their stingers.

Lifting Crescent Rose to deflect a stinger that shot towards her, she was surprised to see a glyph appear in front of her at the last second. The Death Stalker slammed its stinger into the glyph at full speed and shot it backward at itself.

So...she was hurtling towards the ground at terminal velocity, but the Grimm was now disoriented from hitting the glyph. There was no way she could pass an opportunity like this up.

Clutching Thorn around Crescent Rose, she drew back and threw the weapon as hard as she could towards the creature - making sure to account for the upward wind speed and her lack of leverage. The blade sliced through the air and hit the Death Stalker exactly where she'd placed it, succeeding in separating the stinger from the end of the tail.

When a glyph appeared near her feet, she immediately shoved off of it and went flying after her weapon while tapping out the code to recall it. Seamlessly catching Crescent Rose before latching onto a piece of the Death Stalker's armor with Thorn, she attacked in rapid succession to dispatch the creature.

Meanwhile, to her side, she watched Blake rope one of the Death Stalkers and pull herself to it - fluidly looping around the stinger as it tried to attack before tugging Yang after her. When the two dismantled the Death Stalker and moved to the next one in the same fashion, Ruby grinned.

They didn't even need to be on the ground to be awesome.

Her own feet found another of Weiss' glyphs and sent her shooting to another Death Stalker, where she was surprised but also excited to meet up with Weiss. Weiss deflected the stinger with Myrtenaster before Ruby followed up as fast as she possibly could - throwing herself off of the creature while hooking Crescent Rose around its tail and yanking her weapon free.

Another glyph bounced her away from danger as the other Death Stalkers attempted to spear her, but...the ground was rushing up to greet them pretty quickly now…

"Look down, Ruby - get ready!" Weiss shouted as they re-entered the stadium. Doing as she was told, Ruby looked down at the arena and watched as four glyphs swirled into existence.

Out of reach of the Grimm, Ruby watched as they plummeted towards the glyphs. Timing her drop as best she could, she crouched her knees and felt her legs sink in, as if stepping into pudding or molasses. Almost immediately after, she shot back up into the air - whereas the Death Stalkers continued their descent and crashed into the arena in a heap of Grimm that quickly became a hurricane of silver sparkles.

Except for one.

Dropping to the ground from a much more manageable height after using the glyph, Ruby found the sole remaining Death Stalker dazed and disoriented by the fall - which it had only survived by landing on the backs of its former companions.

"I got it," Blake said before sprinting towards their last foe. When Yang obediently stayed behind, Ruby did too.

They watched the creature swipe at Blake, hitting nothing but clone. Its tail struck out at another before it swung its entire body to the side trying to pinpoint Blake's position. Nothing but clone, clone, and more clone.

Suddenly, there were a _lot_ of them. More and more clones appeared and disappeared in rapid succession around the Death Stalker. Soon there were so many that the Grimm was blocked from view - the only thing they could see was a massive growing cyclone of spinning clones and darting blades.

A flash of silver and the shadows instantly disappeared, leaving only Blake standing on the arena floor where the Death Stalker had once been. While the crowd cheered, she gave Yang a smug look that clearly said, 'There. Was that good enough for you?'

"Wow," was all Ruby could think to say. She'd never seen so many shadow clones before!

Yang let out a laugh that was part surprise, part pure glee.

"I'm _so_ in love with that girl," she said before bounding off to join her partner.

 _"_ _A clonado, Ren! That was awesome!"_

 _"_ _That was very well done."_

 _"_ _Oh lighten up poo-poo head! That was one of the coolest things we've seen!"_

The announcers were right about that! A tornado of clones!

Watching Yang lift Blake off the ground, it was out of the corner of her eye that Ruby noticed Weiss walk up beside her.

"That was pretty cool, huh?" she asked, her breathing slightly labored from the energy expended that last round. Weiss nodded but didn't say anything while watching Yang and Blake celebrate.

"Your glyphs too - those are awesome," Ruby added, but Weiss only gave a small smile at the compliment.

"I'm glad you like them," she replied with a slight dip of her head.

Urg...were things going to be this awkward forever? It felt like everything was ok there for a second, but now it was all weird again! Hopefully this wasn't going to last for long. They were almost out of time, and then they could talk. They probably needed to talk.

 _"_ _As usual, speed isn't an issue for Team RWBY. They have ten seconds left for the final round…"_

 _"_ _They've already blazed past the other teams here today! Get it?_ Blazed _? Ren, you get it, right?"_

 _"_ _There will be one announcer's position open after this, if anyone would like it."_

 _"_ _Awww don't be like that!"_

While Blake and Yang jogged over, something began to form at one end of the arena - and it didn't take long for Ruby to figure out that it wasn't any type of Grimm she'd seen before. For one thing, there was no black! It was almost entirely silver and kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger…

"Wow."

That was all Blake had to say, which was a pretty appropriate reaction to what they were looking at.

"That's big," Weiss agreed with a nod.

It looked like a beefed up Paladin, with far more armor than necessary. Like _way_ too much armor. And the guns - sweet Dust, the guns. The rockets alone were enough to destroy multiple skyscrapers, but machine gun turrets too? That was way overkill. And were those grenade launchers?

It looked like someone had crawled into Ruby's imagination and dragged out the most insane contraption of firepower imaginable. It probably couldn't move very well because of all the armor, but that wouldn't matter with the damage it could spray in what looked like every direction.

 _"_ _That thing looks awesome! I wanna fight it!"_

 _"_ _Maybe later, Nora…"_

A loud whirring noise filled the air as the turrets began to spin, combined with several clunking sounds of rockets being loaded into launching bays.

"What do we do, boss?" Yang asked, turning to Ruby for an answer.

Trying to come up with a plan, Ruby looked up at the video screen. When the round started, they'd have ten seconds. That wasn't much time at all. Their only option was something drastic. And fast.

Sizing up the machine, she said the first thing that came to mind. Usually those were the worst, and therefore best ideas.

"Split him in half!"

Clenching one fist, she gestured up in the air before drawing a line to Yang's arm. All three of her teammates looked at her like she was absolutely crazy until Yang started laughing.

"You know, that just might work," she replied with a couple nods of appreciation.

"He's all yours," Blake said, smiling and standing back. After pounding one fist into her palm, Yang set herself into a fighting stance.

"I'm ready for him. Weiss, you ready?"

A line of glyphs appeared - marking a straight shot to their last enemy - and Weiss nodded. Crouching down like a sprinter, Ruby ignored the sounds of the machine preparing to fire and instead listened to the crowd counting down to zero. Every fiber in her body was ready to send her shooting forward as fast as possible.

If this didn't work, oh well. At least they'd tried!

 _Five!_

 _Four!_

 _Three!_

 _Two!_

 _One!_

The instant the chime rang out, Ruby took the line of glyphs like she had rockets strapped to her boots. Traveling in a straight line, she opened up her semblance and pushed herself as fast as she could go. She needed to be faster than...well, bullets, basically. Which she was.

With Weiss' glyphs giving her an extra bit of propulsion, she made it to the machine before the glowing rocket tubes were even able to fire. There was a loud _pop_ when she slammed Crescent Rose deep into metal and jumped with everything she had, using the glyph under her feet to launch herself into the air. The crowd noise seemed to die away as she used her semblance to carry her up as far as she could, feeling the enormous weight of the machine dragging behind her.

As her momentum faded, she reached the tipping point. Again, she found that feeling of weightlessness as she briefly hung suspended above the stadium, but gravity quickly kicked in. Rotating her grip and locking Thorn around Crescent Rose, she flipped around to face the ground and used every last bit of energy she had left to propel herself downward. The added force dug her weapon deeper into the machine's plating and cemented its impending demise. With her semblance maxing out, she steadily gained speed while the ground rushed up to greet her.

"Ember One, this is Ember Two - coming in hot -" she murmured while exhausting the remnants of her semblance.

With a giant monster in tow, she leveled off the angle and tapped her last bit of reserves to burst forward across the arena floor. She didn't need to see where Yang was - she knew that her sister would be there as she dragged the machine at supersonic speed straight into a burning fist.

It was like a freight train crashing into the wall of a mountain.

There was another loud _pop_ as Crescent Rose suddenly broke free, and Ruby immediately hit the brakes - finally sliding to a stop on the far side of the arena. The crowd was back; the people in front of her had their jaws dropped before they were on their feet clapping - the sound adding to the cheers going up throughout the packed stadium.

Turning around, she found one half of the machine lying where it had stopped dead at Yang's feet, while the other half lay smoldering between them.

But that actually worked! How 'bout that?

 _"_ _Wow."_

 _"_ _That was INCREDIBLE! Did you see that, Ren? Did you see that?"_

 _"_ _I don't think anyone actually_ saw _it, Nora -"_

 _"_ Imagine _it then! That was so cool! One second, it's there. The next second it's split in half! Welcome back, Ruby! We've missed your crazy self!"_

They'd done it!

When her ears picked up the crowd cheering for them, Ruby grinned. "RWBY, RWBY, RWBY!" they chanted over and over again while her heart pounded in the same rhythm. Spinning in a slow circle to look at the wall of spectators, she raised her gloved hand in a wave before her eyes fell back to her teammates. Her team.

Beaming proudly, Yang raised one fist to Ruby in a 'success' gesture. Walking up beside Yang, Blake placed one hand on her partner's shoulder before giving Ruby a small smile, ears twitching happily. And Weiss...Weiss watched Ruby carefully. When they made eye contact, she smiled hesitantly, closed her eyes, and gave Ruby a half curtsy.

There was no good way to describe how she felt right now, as the chants of the crowd reverberated in her chest and her teammates stood in front of her. Ecstatic. Happy. Elated. All those good things, but it also felt like something was stirring inside of her. It felt familiar...like maybe she'd been here before. Like maybe this feeling of success wasn't as foreign as it should be.

What Blake had said was true - Ruby could feel it. She'd made it back. Maybe these were only simulated enemies, but they were programmed to be lifelike in their difficulty. Maybe this had been a controlled environment where she'd never been in any real danger, but she'd still managed not to make a fool of herself, and they'd finished all five rounds in the process.

She could do this. She could be a huntress. It had been her goal for such a long time, and she'd finally reached it. The early mornings, the late nights, the endless training and physical therapy. All the times she'd been so tired and sore she could hardly move. All the times she'd been so frustrated she wanted to give up for good. Somehow she'd found a way through all of that, back to this moment.

She'd once been a huntress, and she could be one again. She could get back a part of what she'd lost.

But when her eyes were drawn back to Weiss, she felt a strange pull at her heart - one that was stronger than the cheers lifting her up.

Weiss - the mysterious stranger who'd shown up out of the blue. The girl who'd quickly found a way into Ruby's heart. Weiss was her partner.

All this time, Ruby never even _tried_ to find her partner - not until the perfect opportunity had presented itself. Still, how had she been so blind?

In her defense, she didn't have much information about her partner other than she was supposedly super smart, which Weiss was. Nothing had been said about how sweet and kind she was. Or how funny or how pretty she was. Or how when she smiled, it felt like the sun started shining no matter what the weather was. And if she laughed -

Oh crap.

Ruby had a crush on her partner.


	33. Chapter 33

**The other day, I was thinking about what an incredible journey writing has been for me. It was only about five years ago that I had no idea fan fiction existed - now it's a part of my daily life. I'm so thankful for all of you that have read/reviewed/sent messages over that time! It's your support that keeps me coming back every day. 3**

* * *

"We need to go up."

Looking up the sheer rock face towering above them, Weiss frowned.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath while nonetheless creating a sequence of glyphs that would propel her safely up the side of a _mountain_.

Unperturbed by Blake's directions, Yang cracked her knuckles and latched onto a small outcropping of rock before launching herself upward for what anyone else would consider a terrifying free climb. Blake was probably past the halfway point already, swinging herself from miniscule ledge to miniscule ledge with the help of Gambol Shroud and impeccable balance.

"Weiss!"

Turning towards her name, Weiss found Ruby making a series of quick hand gestures - pointing to the rock wall and the sky before grinning like a fool. To an outside observer the rapid movements probably made no sense, but over the last few years Weiss had learned how to read pseudo-mime.

"You want to run up it?" she asked, earning a nod to confirm her interpretation was correct.

"Yes, please!"

With a half-hearted sigh that was mostly annoyance leaving her system, she lined the rock wall and waved for Ruby to take the glyphs to the top. With a happy squeal, Ruby hopped over and kissed Weiss on the cheek before disappearing in a cloud of petals. Sighing again, this time in content, Weiss used her own set of glyphs to push herself over the edge of the large plateau with a breathtaking view of Vale in the near distance.

Even though they'd been walking for a couple of hours now, they were still close to Vale - close enough that if she squinted, she might be able to see the gate they'd passed through when they'd bid safety goodbye. But she'd have to save the sightseeing for later - her teammates were waiting for her at the top of the cliff face, ready to continue onward.

Maybe _that_ was what annoyed her most about any situation that required climbing. No matter how hard she tried (and sometimes she silently tried very hard), her teammates beat her to the top. It wasn't a race, but if it was, she lost every time. And she didn't particularly enjoy losing - even if the only person who seemed to be competing was herself.

"This way," Blake said quietly before leading them towards what looked like a random patch of thickly-wooded forest.

"The middle of nowhere…" Weiss grumbled while picking her way through prickly bushes that caught on her clothes. "Couldn't even fly us in…make us walk the whole way..."

"They could've flown us if you wanted to wake the Grimm and have them swarm the outskirts."

Pursing her lips at Blake's subtle reprimand, Weiss followed her teammates through the overgrowth in route to their destination. This wasn't like hiking on the weekends, where there were stamped down paths created by the people who'd walked through before. This was trekking through brambles and bushes filled with thorns that had been undisturbed for god knows how long.

It was slow going, which meant Weiss wanted to complain about _just_ how slowly it was going. That didn't mean she didn't fully understand the reasons why their hunt had been structured the way it was. They could've taken an airship and been dropped off directly over the rocky terrain where the hive was located, but the sound could wake the sleeping beasts in the lair - which went staunchly against their objectives of stealth and safety. Waking a hive was never something to be taken lightly...especially when this one was already too close to the city for comfort.

"Still," Weiss huffed in defiance. "Today, they'll ask us to clear this hive. Tomorrow, there will be another. Then the day after that, and the day after that. We're going to spend the next month traipsing through the damn forest searching for Death Stalkers."

"And _that_ , my friends, is what we like to call a humble brag," Yang called out from in front of Weiss.

"I'm not _bragging_. I'm..." When Blake turned around and gave Weiss a knowing look, she paused. There was little point in lying. Her teammates knew her too well by now.

"I'm merely _commenting_ on how we're often asked to complete multiple important hunts in successive days, that's all."

"Humblebrag!"

"I've never _claimed_ to be humble," she sighed in faux exasperation. "Although, I believe you'd be the worst person to be discussing humility."

"Ohhh...the always timely Weiss burn. I have an idea - instead of complaining about how _awesome_ we are, why don't you plan your wedding?" Yang teased. "That all-important two-seven is gonna get here before you know it!"

Instantly shutting her mouth, Weiss turned around and looked at Ruby. Bringing up the rear of their hunting party with Crescent Rose clutched in her hands, Ruby didn't hesitate in giving Weiss a big smile that warmed her heart and made her smile in return. Of course, the lack of rebuttal only made Yang chuckle.

"I'm _so_ going to miss when that doesn't work anymore…"

As much as it annoyed Weiss to admit, Yang was right. It was impossible to be unhappy when planning the wedding. It didn't matter if Ruby insisted upon having every color of rose because it would be 'colorful' or if Yang demanded at least half an hour blocked out for her 'best sister' speech. They were getting married. Weiss would willingly tolerate the other nonsense if it meant she and Ruby finally got to put the period behind 'eternity.'

However, the nonsense she would tolerate began and ended with the wedding. Yang's teasing wasn't included in that category.

"What about you and Blake?" she shot back, grinning at the confused look Yang gave her.

If Yang was going to tease, she'd better be prepared for the repercussions. Just because the mere thought of marrying Ruby filled Weiss with thousands of butterflies didn't mean she was a sitting duck when it came to Yang's incessant jokes. Certainly not. If Weiss had a weakness, Yang did too - the quiet girl walking in front.

"Well…" Weiss began slowly, scowling when Yang hung back and intentionally released a branch early so it would snap into Weiss if she hadn't been paying attention. "How long have you two been together now? Five years? Six? Shouldn't Ruby and I be receiving invites of our own pretty soon?"

Teasing Yang about when she and Blake would get married was one of Weiss' favorite things to do - mostly because there was nothing else that would make Yang so uncharacteristically flustered. It was commonly accepted that they'd eventually get married, now it was only a matter of _when_. As wonderful as that would be for them, and as much as they both deserved to be happy, it would undoubtedly be a sad day for Weiss - after which they might never see this version of stumbling, flustered Yang again.

"I...uh, ya know, still gotta ask and stuff..." Yang mumbled, now looking like she regretted bringing up the conversation to begin with.

"She doesn't even need to ask. She already knows my answer," Blake replied from up ahead of them, giving Yang a reassuring smile.

"See? Don't even have to ask," Yang said with a nervous chuckle, running one hand through her hair and avoiding eye contact.

Fully prepared to ratchet the embarrassment up even higher, Weiss paused when Ruby suddenly gasped.

"Can we have a joint wedding?"

 _What_? Weiss nearly yelped in surprise, but Yang beat her to the punch.

"Woah woah _woah_ there sis. One, Weiss would never let that happen. And two...well, that first one is good enough."

"But it'd be so cool! Right, Weiss?"

 _Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't -_

Failing, Weiss turned to glance at Ruby, whose silver eyes might as well be shimmering puppy dog eyes at the moment. Opening her mouth to respond, Weiss struggled with her intense desire to immediately grant any of Ruby's wishes. If Ruby wanted to have a joint wedding...that wouldn't be all that bad, would it? Sure, Yang would probably find some new way to mortally embarrass Weiss in front of a large group of people. And yes, Yang would most likely be borderline inappropriate with Blake the entire time, but…

No. She needed to resist. Sometimes, rational heads needed to prevail.

"I...think I'm with Yang on this one…" she managed to reply, waiting to see how disappointed the answer would make Ruby - but when her pout was merely playful, Weiss relaxed.

Thank grimm. It was only a joke.

"Have you started thinking about food yet?" Blake asked, expertly shifting the focus back to Ruby and Weiss. "Because I can think of nothing classier than salmon or tuna as the main course."

"You and your fish…" Back to teasing, this time Blake was Yang's target.

"There's nothing wrong with fish. It's elegant and sophisticated. Plus, almost everyone loves it."

"I know I do," Yang replied, dropping back to walk beside Weiss and giving her shoulder a playful nudge - nearly sending her into a tree in the process.

"Ruby's in charge of the food," she announced, drawing Yang and Blake's full attention in surprise.

"Like...all the food?"

"All of it!" Ruby proclaimed. "And dessert! We're gonna have cake, cookies, pies, ice cream...ohhh maybe ice cream cake too! And ice cream cookies...do they make those? Ice cream pies? Cookie pies?"

"Guess we should be worried if there'll even _be_ food at this wedding," Yang teased Weiss. Smiling, she shrugged nonchalantly - a gesture she'd almost certainly picked up from Ruby.

"I don't even care. She wanted to be in charge of food, so she's in charge of food. She can get whatever she wants."

The final menu wasn't going to make any sense or follow any type of theme, but that was Ruby. And Weiss loved her for that.

"What about what Weiss wants to eat? Like some bland cereal or tasteless crackers?"

"I'm already getting what I want. She agreed to marry me," Weiss commented, feeling a smile appear that was impossible to resist.

Realistically, there was no reason for her to worry about what she'd eat on the day of the wedding. For as much as Ruby sometimes appeared or sounded scatterbrained, she could list Weiss' favorite foods in order of frequency. And if anyone believed Ruby wasn't thoughtful enough to incorporate any of those things into their wedding...then they didn't know Ruby very well at all.

That, and Weiss might be too nervous to eat much of anything on that day.

"Ugh!" Yang complained. "When did you two get so sappy? You're gonna be sappier than Blake and me!"

"That wouldn't be a bad thing," Blake commented dryly.

"You're right. It'd be a horrible thing!"

The three of them chuckled at Yang's over exaggeration before lapsing into a comfortable silence broken only by the sounds of leaves and bushes rustling as they passed through.

When Weiss and Ruby first got engaged, Yang commented on how Weiss would be a nightmare bride. Honestly, she'd expected that of herself too. There was so much to be decided upon...so many little details to be ironed out. Guest lists, linens, silverware, venue, officiating - the list went on and on and on. Everything needed to be perfect. Everything needed to go off without a hitch. Every potential pitfall needed to be identified and mitigated in advance. Backup plans needed to be made for backup plans.

For the first several days, Weiss had been an obsessive mess. Fortunately, that feeling faded away the instant Ruby got involved - because planning a wedding with Ruby was surprisingly easy. If Weiss ever felt stressed or upset or overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options they had to wade through, she asked what Ruby wanted. Whatever it was, they chose that.

And Weiss couldn't be happier. Rainbow bouquets of roses? Done. Red tablecloths? Sure, why not. Invitations with a cheesy joke on them? Absolutely. Allow Yang to officiate? Well…

Fair or not, a great deal of external pressure was placed on them to make sure the wedding was perfect - the unfortunate result of Weiss' social status and yadda yadda. But that's why they hadn't invited anyone other than close family and friends. Her own parents had been lucky to receive an invite.

Maybe it would end up being a mishmash of colors and styles and themes, but it would be a true celebration that both of them could enjoy with each other and with the people they cared about most.

A breath of roses and a soft kiss landed on Weiss' cheek, abruptly pulling her from her thoughts. She flushed at the unexpected affection, but by the time she turned her head, Ruby had already disappeared.

When Weiss turned fully around, Ruby gave her an innocent little grin - one that made her question whether or not she'd imagined the entire thing.

But that was Ruby's plan - and its near success only further highlighted the new level of speed she'd recently discovered. It was faster than anything they'd seen at Beacon - so fast that Weiss doubted Yang even noticed Ruby's brief presence between them.

It was a new skill and, as with any new skill, Ruby had been devoting hours upon hours to perfecting it. But she'd been having some difficulty - as she tried to explain to Weiss, it was only possible to do if she let go of several learned habits and constraints. After years and years of focused training, many of those habits weren't so easy to circumvent, but she was trying regardless.

And, from the looks of it, succeeding.

When Blake suddenly held up a hand, the four of them froze in complete silence - another habit that had been ingrained in them years ago. The gesture meant Blake heard something nearby, most likely a Grimm, and they needed to remain silent to avoid detection. It was like that game Weiss had watched the children at her grade school play - the one with the red and green lights.

"We're good," Blake whispered a few seconds later before continuing - the danger having passed them by.

As they moved forward through the trees, Yang caught Weiss' attention.

'You and Ruby,' she mouthed before pressing her two index fingers together. 'Then I'll -' Holding up one finger and pointing it to herself, Yang then made the gesture of opening a small box before pointing to Blake's back.

'Really?' Weiss mouthed back while Yang beamed and nodded. Grinning at the news, Weiss gave Yang a small pat on the shoulder in congratulations.

When they got back, Weiss was going to tease Yang for taking so long to find the courage to pop the question. But, now that she'd found it, they'd have to go out to lunch and discuss how she planned on asking. Knowing Yang, it would be some incredibly elaborate setup that she'd need help with.

Noticing the sudden silence, Blake turned around and gave them a suspicious glance.

"I'm already working on my best sister speech!" Yang announced. "Wanna hear the beginning?"

"Do we have a choice?" Weiss teased, ducking another branch Yang snapped towards her and sending a patch of ice into the girl's back in indignation.

"Not really. So you know that feeling when you meet someone and instantly dislike them?" Yang began while shooting Weiss grin. "Like they fundamentally annoy you? No big deal - first impressions aren't everything, right? But then you meet them again and they _still_ bother you? So begins the story of Weiss and Ruby - the most unlikely partners at Beacon."

While Ruby giggled, Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I'd say Pyrrha and Jaune were the most unlikely."

"'Second most unlikely' has no flair, Weiss! I'm trying to paint you as star-crossed lovers!"

Chuckling, Yang wrapped one arm around Weiss' shoulders and used the other to ruffle her hair. Pretending to be annoyed, Weiss shoved her teammate away before smoothing her hair back in place.

"I can't believe I'll have to call you my sister-in-law," she groaned, which only made Yang happier.

Maybe they teased each other incessantly, but they'd grown remarkably close over the past few years. If anything, they were already like sisters - complete with the bickering and arguing over who used the bathroom for too long.

"And then Blake will be my sister-in-law!" Ruby quipped, the comment making Yang and Weiss share a look while Blake turned around and smiled at them in amusement.

"Uh, yeah! Totally, Ruby!" Yang replied with a grin while Weiss shook her head at Ruby's innocent mistake. "Big happy family, how 'bout that?"

When Weiss turned around, she caught Ruby's happy nod and smiled in return.

"Mom will love celebrating her birthday with you guys," Yang remarked, hopping over a wide tree that must have fallen over recently and offering an arm to help Weiss across.

"That was the idea."

Accepting Yang's help, Weiss was basically lifted over the fallen tree through no effort of her own - set down on the other side to continue on.

One of her greatest regrets was that she'd never had the opportunity to meet Ruby's mom in person. From the stories she'd heard from Ruby and Yang, Summer Rose had been a remarkable woman and a loving, adoring mother. And from the research she'd done on her own - collected through various older huntsmen and professors - Summer Rose had been a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield...just like her daughter.

"There's a river up ahead; we'll have to cross it."

It was several minutes after Blake's soft instruction that the sound of running water finally met Weiss' ears. This was why Blake always led. With her superior senses, she navigated the forest without so much as consulting a terrain map. The rest of them would be glued to intel reports trying to decipher which direction to go when everything looked the same.

These days, Weiss wouldn't be shy in admitting how much she loved having Blake on their team. Her sense of direction was unparalleled. Her hearing could pick out enemies from miles away. She could see in practically pitch darkness. And she had a far superior sense of smell.

Upon graduation, one of the recommendations Weiss made to the administration at Beacon was for more Faunus to be admitted and for at least one Faunus member to be placed on each team to promote diversity and inclusion. She'd even gone so far as to suggest that remediated White Fang members be allowed delayed acceptance - under certain circumstances, of course.

With a hefty donation, it became a reality - and thankfully so. Weiss appreciated that Blake found the strength to make it on her own, but the path forward shouldn't be so difficult. If there were young Faunus out there who dreamed of making the world a better place, they should be given the opportunity to prove their mettle. And now they could – since Weiss had pilfered from her prejudiced father and made sure there were funds available for the Faunus huntsmen of the future. She hadn't mentioned anything to Blake, but she wouldn't be surprised if Blake already knew. It was her job to know these 'ninja' things, after all...

One of the greatest lessons Weiss had learned at Beacon was that everyone, regardless of who they were or what they looked like, possessed their own unique strengths. She was a Schnee - privileged from birth, with the best instructors and training that could be bought. She'd done everything the 'right' way - studying, training, and following the rules. Blake had followed a different path, yet that didn't make her any less valuable than Weiss. If anything, their greatest advantage was that they had different skill sets and experiences that they were willing to share with each other.

Stopping at the bank of a surprisingly wide and rushing river, the four of them quickly decided how they would get themselves across.

"Alley-oop?" Yang asked Blake, receiving a nod in return before grasping her by the hands and easily throwing her to the opposite bank. After Blake landed safely on dry land, Yang scratched her head and looked at the river.

"Ya know, I never really consider what to do after keeping Blake away from water..." she admitted with an embarrassed smile. Rolling her eyes, Weiss set two lines of glyphs like stepping stones for the two of them to jump across. Meanwhile Ruby...Ruby backed up several steps and planned to run across the water using her semblance.

It never worked. Her boots would still get soaked, but _one day_...

When they reached the other side, Blake waved them towards another nondescript line of trees.

"We're close," she said in a hushed voice before disappearing into the shadows. The rest of them immediately cut their talking and crept far more carefully amongst the trees, focusing their senses to be alert for any danger.

Making it to this location was the easy, albeit tedious, part of their hunt. Now that they were approaching their objective, every footstep needed to be taken seriously.

Glancing up, through the top branches of the trees, Weiss caught glimpses of another mountain they were quickly nearing. If they were close, then it was within the rock face of this mountain that a hive was hidden.

The mountain became more visible as the seconds ticked past. The closer they grew to danger, the thinner the trees and brush grew. How was that for irony? When they were being pricked to death by thorns, they were safe. When they could walk freely, they were in danger.

Logically, this phenomenon was quite normal. Clearings were almost always found around the site of a hive - a necessary consequence of the Death Stalkers' massive size. Because the Grimm didn't particularly care about avoiding obstacles, nearby vegetation would often be pushed over and trampled in a hurry.

Keeping her breathing smooth and steady, Weiss made sure to mind her feet while stepping over the remnants of tree trunks and crumbled branches. The sound of the river faded away - as did all other sounds. This section of forest was notably devoid of noise, likely due to the dangers lurking nearby.

Up ahead, just past Blake, was a large clearing. As they stepped out of the safety of the trees, Weiss looked around and found that they were now standing in a section of woods that had been trodden down by hundreds of feet passing through the area on a daily basis. The mountain was visible now - towering above them while extending who-knew-how far in each direction. The cave, if it was up ahead, was cleverly hidden in the shadows cast by large outcroppings of rock.

The four of them wordlessly grouped closer together and crept across the clearing, towards the shadow of the mountain. While Weiss couldn't hear anything but a slight rustle as the wind passed through the nearby trees, she knew Blake's ears were taking in far more information from the way they swiveled ceaselessly.

It wasn't until they stepped back into the shade that Weiss' eyes adjusted and struggled to find what they were searching for.

"There," Blake said, pointing to a dark opening located nearly ten feet off of the forest floor. "That has to be it."

Knowing that Blake was most likely correct, the four of them inched over to the ledge underneath the cave and looked up.

"Ok. Let's go," Ruby whispered before looking at Yang. On cue, Yang shrugged the backpack from her shoulders and handed it over to Blake, but didn't let go when she reached out to take it.

"Be careful," Yang whispered. Smiling, Blake squeezed Yang's hand before swinging the pack onto her back, silently scaling the ledge, and disappearing into darkness.

As soon as Blake was gone, Ruby motioned with her head for Yang and Weiss to follow her away from the mountain. Doing as told, the three of them moved into the clearing while waiting for Blake to complete her part of the mission. They stopped when they were far enough away to see the cave clearly, but not too far away that they wouldn't be able to assist if necessary.

"I hate when she does this stuff…" Yang muttered to herself while pacing back and forth, her eyes never leaving the entrance to the cave.

If anyone wanted to see Yang Xiao Long lose her permanent cool, force her to stand more than ten feet away while putting Blake in a life-threatening situation.

It wasn't that Yang didn't trust in Blake's abilities - if that were the case, there'd be no way to keep her out here with them. No, it was the mere _idea_ of losing Blake - the long shot that Blake could get hurt when Yang had no way to help - that set her on an edge so precarious that Weiss was afraid to know what might happen should Yang ever fall. Put them in a battle royale and she wouldn't bat an eye, but separated from each other...her nerves showed.

This was Blake's role though. She was the stealthy one. She could go places undetected. She accepted the danger willingly - they all did - but that didn't mean Yang had ever gotten used to it.

While Yang paced a few feet ahead, Ruby stood motionlessly beside Weiss.

"It's quiet."

What Ruby was saying without actually saying was that something felt off. But what could it be? The mission was going precisely as planned.

Trusting Ruby's intuition, Weiss scanned their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. The cave in the mountain in front of them, the rock ledges jutting out in every direction, the wreckage of foliage left by the Death Stalkers, the trees in the distance. Trees, trees, and more trees.

From the satellite imagery, she knew there was a lake somewhere behind them that the river they'd crossed flowed into. Then there was the mountain, and trees, and rocks, and shrubs.

But Ruby was right. It was quiet. Quieter than expected for a section of forest located so close to the city walls.

It was another well-known phenomena that the more dangerous an area of forest was, the quieter it became. Quiet in their world wasn't a good thing. Unspoken dangers lurked in silence...

"Nothing we can't handle," Weiss finally replied. Between the four of them, they should be safe. Plus, they had two teams on standby if needed - all they had to do was send out the call and backup could be here in minutes.

After squeezing Weiss' hand, Ruby walked a short distance away while silver eyes constantly prowled for danger. As usual, Ruby was calm and undeterred by the magnitude of their mission. They were tasked with keeping Vale safe - no small feat when the Grimm did their absolute best to encroach upon one of the last bastions of humanity. Their success in clearing groups of powerful Grimm from the near vicinity played a vital role in maintaining a buffer within which life could continue to thrive.

Weiss wasn't sure if Ruby thought of their hunts as such important mission - or if Ruby embarked upon every quest with a singular focus on succeeding no matter the costs. Understanding the impact of a successful mission might come later, when they'd returned safely home, but out here...Ruby was strictly business. Her ever-present composure had a way of rubbing off on the rest of them - a vital quality when they risked their lives on a daily basis.

A flicker of motion by the cave entrance caught Weiss' immediate attention. It was nothing more than a shadow, but on their team a shadow was everything. When Blake hopped down from the ledge and jogged over to them, Yang visibly relaxed and finally stopped pacing.

"Done," Blake said upon rejoining them.

"How many?" Ruby asked.

"Fifty. At least," Blake answered quickly, allowing Yang to take her hand. "It's huge in there. Goes back further than I wanted to go. I don't think we'll get them all."

"Then we've got a fight!" Yang added with a grin. Any hint of unease had disappeared, placated by Blake's presence.

"Ok, prepare to mop 'em up," Ruby agreed while pulling out the small device that would set off the charges Blake had just placed inside the mountain. "Everyone ready?"

This was it. This was one of the moments they'd spent years training for.

Placing Myrtenaster in front of her, Weiss nodded. Blake drew Gambol and swished the blade silently through the air. Yang held up her fists and rolled onto the balls of her feet, bobbing in place like a boxer. Ruby pulled Crescent Rose from her back and held the weapon in one hand while holding the detonator in the other.

They were ready.

"Ok, here we go."

After pressing the button, Ruby tossed the device aside as the charges immediately went off in rapid succession.

 _BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM._

The explosions were deafening, followed by the sound of crumbling boulders as the cave collapsed in on itself.

 _BOOM._

Blake turned around while the rest of them watched the first Death Stalker charge out of the rubble. It was covered in debris and already injured, but angry. Angry Grimm...far more dangerous.

"Something's wrong," Blake said, her head turning and ears swiveling in all directions while scanning the forest. Yang burst forward to greet the Death Stalker, punching one claw into the ground before jumping out of the way of the stinger. "That last one wasn't -"

Blake turned around again, her eyes wide when loud cracks filled the air. Several more Death Stalkers crawled from the rubble, shaking boulders from their armor plating, but Weiss could hear it now too. There were far off cracks and thuds that shook the forest floor beneath their feet. And they were getting closer by the second.

"Yang! Regroup!" Ruby shouted to her sister before looking behind them.

Reverberating cracks filled the air, sounding like the earth was breaking itself apart. The treetops behind them swayed and toppled as the noise sped towards them. As soon as the sound cleared the tree line, they saw it - a fissure ripping its way through bedrock - the ground opening up and crumbling away.

"Back! Back up!"

The four of them scrambled backward and jumped to safety when the ground suddenly fell away. Summoning several glyphs, Weiss scaled the toppling dirt and debris and made it to a ledge of relatively stable ground...right in front of the hive they'd just woken.

"Yang! Engage them!" Ruby shouted over the suddenly thunderous section of forest. Without hesitation, Yang shot back to the injured Death Stalkers to keep them at bay. Weiss' gaze went to the giant hole that had just opened up in the earth - and her heart temporarily stopped.

They'd been standing on top of an underground river. The explosions must have destabilized the ground enough to open up the giant cavern to the sun, but that wasn't what filled her with dread.

Death Stalkers were pouring out of the cavern.

"Another hive!" she yelled above the sound of rushing water and parts of the ground still cracking and falling away. "Ruby, there's another hive!"

Her foot caught in a hole that hadn't been there a second ago, and she cursed under her breath while regaining her balance.

This wasn't good. The environment was fighting them too.

"We can hold 'em!" Yang yelled. They had to yell if they wanted to be heard over the sound of so many feet and pinchers clacking in the air - with towering trees still toppling into the newly-created rupture.

"Are you crazy?!" Weiss shouted back to Yang, drawing a ridge of ice on top of the underground cavern that only slowed the Grimm's progress by a second. "We have to get out of here!"

Another section of earth broke off and fell out of sight.

"Call it in," Ruby said. "We're leaving."

There were no questions or complaints from Yang, she just spoke into her watch - "Hey guys, we have two hives here. Gonna need a pickup."

As always, Yang was calm. But Yang was always calm when things fell into chaos.

"Yang and I at the river!" Ruby directed them loudly. "Weiss and Blake - get the stragglers and the edges!"

It was the best strategy. Ruby and Yang would cause the most havoc on the new Death Stalkers while Weiss and Blake mopped up any that tried to sneak around, and the injured ones from the cave.

Switching her view when Ruby slid into place behind her, Weiss locked onto a target burrowing its way out of the rubble.

"I can't - believe - they missed this!" she shouted while shooting streams of icicles towards it, managing to lock down one of its claws before cycling to another target.

"Focus, Weiss," Ruby gently reminded her.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to do what Ruby said. It did no good to dwell on other things while in a fight, but dammit if she wasn't angry. How many times had they been taught to know their limitations, both individually and as a team? One hive was doable for them when it might usually take two teams. But two? That was asking the impossible, _especially_ when they hadn't been expecting two. And the ground was crumbling under their feet, for Grimm's sake.

Summoning three glyphs, she shot between them and disposed of the first Death Stalker before moving back in place.

At least help was on the way. They only needed to hold the creatures at bay.

"Blake, one - one, one, your left!" Yang shouted before a series of shotgun blasts broke through the air.

"Weiss - two coming your way!"

More rumbling filled the air as the two beasts roared around the edge and Ruby let them go. One was already critically injured - enough so that Weiss destroyed it with a flurry of green Dust sent its way. The second was less injured, but using a series of glyphs, she blasted around the creature in an intricate path that was designed to confuse. As it tried to catch her, it exposed its weakest points for her to capitalize on.

Just like they'd trained - one enemy at a time.

Another Death Stalker scurried out of the cave behind them, its stinger already severed from its tail. Stepping up to engage as it ran towards her, she briefly lost her footing when the ground gave a hearty rumble beneath her feet. After regaining her posture, she'd lost the perfect point of attack - but diverted its attention from her team by catapulting overtop of it. When it reared around to follow her motion, she dashed through it with the help of a glyph, sending it drifting into the wind as particles of black.

"Two more!"

It was loud - way too loud. They'd expected one explosion with a few stragglers to clean up in relative silence, not this.

"We need to draw them away!" Ruby shouted, coming to the same conclusion Weiss was drawing. "Move now!"

They didn't protest - they all knew it was true. They were drawing too much attention, and they couldn't have this fight spill towards the city walls.

Seeing Ruby take off out of the corner of her eye, Weiss ducked an incoming claw before turning to follow. Blake catapulted up ahead, and Yang made it to Weiss' side - the four of them running parallel to the mountain while it sounded like the entire forest came alive to chase them.

Pumping her arms and legs, Weiss wove between the trees on autopilot and jumped when a low pile of brush appeared in her path. She could hear the creaking and reverberating pounds of trees being bowled over behind them - the angry Death Stalkers in full pursuit. She had no idea where they were headed except that it was deeper - deeper into the forest with a horde of Grimm on their trail.

"We're - moving -" she heard Yang huff into her watch while they sprinted through the trees, leaping a small stream in one bound. "You'll - find us!"

Help was on the way. If they led the Grimm away from the city, there was a chance their backup could arrive and together they could clear this swarm.

A black shape suddenly appeared in her path - red eyes briefly glinting before claws slashed towards her throat.

"Weiss left!"

Reaching out her left hand, she blindly grabbed ahold of Blake's ribbon before being abruptly yanked to the left, spinning away from the Beowolf's paw and narrowly avoiding a tree trunk before releasing and stumbling forward. She almost fell but managed to regain her balance and kept sprinting - feeling her teammates still around her.

"Keep going!"

A howl broke through the woods - loud and clear, but from a source unseen.

"I'll get it - keep moving!"

"Ruby, no!" Weiss yelled, but Ruby had already disappeared from view. Weiss' feet immediately turned to follow, but Yang grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to continue forward.

"She's got it - keep going!"

There was no time to argue, so she kept running, pushing her legs to their limit while silently praying for Ruby to return soon. It sounded like the Grimm were growing nearer - was that true? Were they gaining ground?

The howler was suddenly silenced, but had it been fast enough? How many Grimm heard before Ruby found it?

"Ursa!"

A second after Blake called out, a pack of Ursa burst through the trees in front of them. They were everywhere - filling every gap and rushing forward with growls of anger.

Skidding to a stop, Weiss flitted to the side to avoid the first massive paw swiping towards her head, only to duck as a second Ursa followed suit. Using a glyph to move backward, she watched Yang barrel into one of the other Grimm before shotgun blasts started going off. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Blake jump and twist over another Ursa, slashing downward to wound it in midair.

This had just gone from bad to worse.

Hearing a loud roar as an Ursa lunged towards her throat, Weiss slipped to the side and darted underneath, jabbing upward with Myrtenaster and slicing from head to toe until the creature disappeared. She wanted to press forward, but there was already another Ursa in her face forcing her to step backward and defend.

They didn't have time for this. They didn't have time to stop.

When she turned to her right, an Ursa disappeared with a trail of rose petals left in its place. Three more vanished in the next second before Ruby slid to a stop beside her. For a split second, their eyes met and, even though this wasn't how the hunt was supposed to go, there was no fear in Ruby's eyes. There was concern, but determination.

They were going to make it out of this.

"Yang! To the rear with me!" Ruby ordered. "Blake and Weiss, hold the Ursa back!"

Following the commands, each of them slid towards their places - fighting all the while - trying to clear out the Ursa before more company arrived.

This was where they would hold their ground.

"Weiss!"

Spinning to the right, Weiss ducked as a Beowolf leapt out of the woods towards her. A yellow missile met the Grimm above her head, pummeling it backward with a thud of two powerful forces clashing together. Two shotgun blasts went off before Yang hit the ground, tumbled forward, and met the newly arrived group of Beowolves head on.

Immediately turning, Weiss froze an Ursa mid-lunge before shooting through it. She summoned a glyph that Blake used to leap past an Ursa and find Yang's side - the two of them working through the Beowolves while Weiss moved closer to the mountain.

If there was an advantage to being hemmed in by the mountain, it was that they only had three sides to protect. The Ursa and Beowolves at the front and side - the Death Stalkers at the rear - Blake and Yang would hold the edges together.

The forest was growing louder and louder - and then the Death Stalkers broke through.

"Watch the trees!"

Hundreds of feet tall, the trees were tilting over, snapping at the roots and gaining speed while collapsing towards the ground. Keeping an eye upward while whizzing around another Ursa, Weiss jumped back at the last second and watched as the Ursa and one of its friends were instantly obliterated under a giant oak.

"Yang, watch out!"

Another series of booms shook the ground as more trees crashed towards them. Creaking and snapping filled the air while the clacking of pincers began in earnest.

While Weiss used a glyph to attack an Ursa from behind, she heard that clacking right behind her - and knew that if she turned around, she would find the dozens of Death Stalkers pressing in on them.

Calling Ronnie to life, she sent him to fight alongside Blake - the additional support allowing Blake to slide further right and help Yang with a group of three Death Stalkers. Relaxing her mind, Weiss didn't focus on Ronnie or herself - she merely reacted, trusting instincts that had been ingrained through years of practice.

She plunged Myrtenaster through the nearest Beowolf as Ronnie swung and severed an arm from an Ursa before following up with a death blow. She spun and fired a stream of red Dust into an Ursa's eyes before leaping forward and slashing downward - when the creature recoiled, she lowered her boots and sprang off of it when enough force to send it toppling to the ground. Meanwhile, Ronnie lifted an arm and easily blocked an Ursa's paw before jabbing his sword straight forward through the Grimm's chest.

Keeping her semblance active was pulling at her energy. It wasn't draining, yet, but how much longer could they keep this up?

Blake threw Gambol towards Ronnie, and he caught the ribbon in his left hand, pulling upward to yank her out of harm's way before two Death Stalkers clashed into each other in a bull rush. Ronnie then spun Blake in a tight circle before releasing her towards the next unsuspecting Grimm before charging over to the two Death Stalkers himself.

Leaping over an Ursa, Weiss briefly glimpsed the battle waging behind her - with Yang and Ruby taking on the Death Stalkers trying to break through their defenses. Landing in a crouch and killing the Ursa with three precision blows, Weiss created a glyph in the air as Yang sprang upward. Twisting herself around mid-air, Yang kicked off the glyph and shot back to the ground, smashing the Death Stalker into the forest floor with one super-charged fist.

As an alley opened between the Death Stalkers, Weiss rolled out of the way of a Beowolf while Ronnie charged back to support her. She needed to wait for the opening to develop…

Spotting the perfect angles as Ronnie destroyed the Beowolf and two others, Weiss started creating more and more glyphs - five, ten, fifteen, twenty of them opened up around every tree.

Ruby wasted no time blasting between them, leaving a trail of petals and destroyed Grimm in her wake.

"They're crawling up the mountain! Weiss!"

Turning to the left at Blake's warning, Weiss found that the Death Stalkers were moving up and around Ruby - scrambling up the rocky base of the mountain in an overflow that Weiss moved to prevent from spilling into their midst.

One of the Grimm lost its footing and fell, nearly landing on top of her had she not jumped out of the way in time. Taking advantage of the temporary daze, Weiss left Ronnie to deal with the Ursa while shooting forward to engage the Death Stalker. It raised one claw and attempted to swat her away, but she leapt over and then twisted away from the stinger. Landing behind the creature, she summoned as much power as she could find and swept Myrtenaster across to separate the stinger from the beast.

Hearing a loud rumbling sound, she looked up only to cover her eyes and send herself blindly backward as a boulder dislodged from the mountain and fell towards her.

"Weiss, watch out!"

By the time she lowered her hands and spun around, it was already too late - the stinger was shooting straight towards her heart.

A flash of red and the stinger detached from the Grimm, falling harmlessly to the ground at her feet.

But Ruby was pursued by three more Death Stalkers. Weiss tried to rush to her partner's aid but ducked backward when another Death Stalker suddenly dropped off the mountain and fell in between them - the creature landing on its back and wildly scrambling to right itself.

More rumbling filled the air, and Weiss immediately knew why - the mountain was crumbled under the weight of the Death Stalkers, sending rocks and boulders shooting down towards them while bringing the Grimm right along with it.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted - seeing the Death Stalkers about to avalanche on top of her partner.

Ruby dodged around the boulders while Weiss tried to reach her - but the Death Stalkers swept past her, lashing wildly and unpredictably while they tried to keep their footing. One of them caught Ruby by the arm in its powerful pincher, and she cried out in pain, dropping Crescent Rose before the Death Stalker slid to the side and released her, flinging her into one of the falling boulders. When she hit the ground, she was limp as a rag doll.

"RUBY!" Weiss screamed as untamed glyphs burst from her in all directions, shoving the Death Stalkers back and spraying rocks away from her.

Nothing. No response.

"Yang!" she cried out while using glyphs to scramble over the slew of rocks still pouring from the mountain.

Ruby was still down. She wasn't moving. Weiss had to get over there.

The Death Stalkers were swarming through the break in their defenses, collapsing their pocket of protection and moving towards where Ruby was lying. Panicking, Weiss reached deep down in her aura and summoned Ronnie - but split him in two. She sent both soldiers barreling through as many Grimm as they could find - grabbing at them and shoving them back towards the woods.

Out of the way. Get them out of the way.

"Weiss, don't!"

She didn't heed Yang's words while racing straight into the Death Stalkers and unstable ground, trying to avoid tripping and falling on the rocks that were still sliding underneath her feet. Her breathing was heavy as she struggled to maintain Ronnie's duplicate image for longer and longer, but she was growing more desperate. A third version of Ronnie grabbed ahold of the last Death Stalker between her and Ruby and dragged the Grimm away.

The moment she saw a shower of pink grenades fall from the sky, Weiss dropped her weapon and fell to her knees by Ruby's side.

"Ruby," she said, her stomach retching when she saw the blood flowing from Ruby's arm and an awful gash in her head. Gently tilting her head, Weiss saw that Ruby's eyes were fluttering. She was still alive.

There were so many noises now. An airship droning in the sky, blowing air down upon them that caused more rocks to tumble downhill. People shouting directions to each other. The fight was still going full force, but to Weiss all that mattered was Ruby. Boots raced over before a set of hands appeared and moved to pick Ruby up.

"Help me lift her. Hold her head."

Obediently following Jaune's orders, Weiss mimicked his movements so they could carefully lift Ruby off the ground. It probably wasn't wise to move her so quickly, but there wasn't time to take every precaution.

Walking as quickly as they could with the mountain of rubble still shifting underneath their feet, they got Ruby into the ship using the lowered stretcher and immediately laid her down on a row of seats once they'd moved her inside.

Weiss knelt on the cold metal floor by Ruby's side, watching helplessly while her wounds continued to bleed.

There were lots of sounds, but they hardly registered in Weiss' mind. Boots clunking on the metal floor of the ship, the sound of Grimm below, the fight waging on.

"SSSN's here in twenty seconds. You guys clean up, and I'll get them to help."

"I can stay -"

"No, stay with her. We'll be fine."

The door to the ship slammed shut, and they burst into the air.

"Blake, I need you to watch the skies."

Leaving the cockpit, Jaune appeared by Weiss' side once again and gently moved her out of the way while he administered the LOTT gel to the gash in Ruby's head. Next, he carefully wrapped Ruby's arm in a compression sleeve. All emergency medical care they'd been taught, but Weiss was too compromised to recall right now.

The only thing she seemed capable of doing was clutching Ruby's right hand for dear life, their engagement ring pressing into the palm of her hand. Ruby had never liked wearing the ring on her left hand...she was worried she might break it by hitting it on something...

"Please," Weiss begged softly, openly crying now as the ship shot through the skies. "Please, please don't leave me..."

In a flicker of silver, Ruby's eyes focused on Weiss before a sick gurgle came from her throat. Her eyes blinked, and then Weiss heard in a voice lower than a whisper, "Weiss…"

When Ruby's eyes closed, Weiss heard a strangled cry come from her.

"Ruby," she sobbed, placing one hand on Ruby's cheek while tears blurred her eyes. "Ruby, please - please hold on, just a little longer. Please, you have to be strong..."

Jaune was sitting on his heels beside them, unable to do anything to help except lend his aura. Weiss could feel the strength seeping back into her bones, but Ruby's wounds were still bleeding. The blood flow had slowed from the first aid, but Jaune's aura should help Ruby stop the bleeding entirely. Unless the damage was already too much.

Reaching out from Weiss' side, Yang gingerly touched Ruby's shoulder, as if afraid she might do more harm from the light contact.

There was nothing else they could do. They had to make it to help soon. They couldn't watch Ruby die this way.

"Hold on, Ruby...we're almost there," Jaune whispered before standing and racing to the front of the ship. "Yang, Weiss. Get ready."

The door to the airship opened while it was still dropping towards the top of the hospital, where staff were already waiting on the rooftop for their arrival. The sudden influx of wind burned Weiss' eyes, and by the time she was able to see properly two nurses were already rushing aboard to move Ruby onto a gurney. Seconds later they were racing down the ramp and through the open hospital doors with Weiss spurring her legs to follow.

One of the nurses was saying things that were unintelligible, while the other steered the gurney swiftly through the halls. Several more people, looking like doctors, raced over and looked over Ruby's wounds while they raced through the hospital. The onslaught of motion and activity had brought some bit of consciousness back into Ruby, whose eyes were fluttering again. Weiss did her best to stay in Ruby's field of vision while speedwalking beside the bed.

"Ruby, Ruby stay with me. You're going to be alright - you're going to be fine. Just hold on a little longer for me, alright?" she said gently, still holding Ruby's hand.

Silver locked onto her for an instant, the effort looking considerable.

"Weiss."

Her name was a slight gurgle, as if there was too much fluid in Ruby's mouth.

"Ruby, save your strength -" she begged, her voice cracking with tears. But Ruby was struggling, fighting to say something.

"Weiss...it's o-"

When Ruby's eyes rolled back to white, the nurses ran even faster.

"Get her on the table now!" one of the doctors shouted while shoving open the doors to an operating room.

"Ruby!"

A nurse grabbed Weiss' arm when she tried to follow and, on instinct, she brought one heel down on top of his foot. When he yelped in pain and released her, she rushed forward only for two pairs of strong arms to grab her and prevent her from following any further. Lifting her right off the ground, the two nurses set her on the other side of the door.

"You need to wait out here," one ordered bluntly before both turned and raced after the doctors, slamming the door shut between them.

Through the small window in the door, she watched the flurry of motion as doctors and nurses hurried around the room, preparing an attempt to save Ruby's life. Tubes and needles and glints of metal flashed impossibly fast - each person moving quickly but confidently.

Shellshocked, Weiss stood in the hallway and watched the chaos as it unfolded, all surrounding Ruby - who already looked lifeless on the flat metal table. They were bracing her head, a set of razors buzzed to life. The sleeve of her outfit was cut off and thrown towards the garbage, revealing the true damage to her arm - where white bone showed through the sickening wound.

A soft but firm hand on her elbow eventually led her away from the door and out into a quiet waiting area - the peacefulness feeling fake after the tumultuous few minutes they'd just gone through. At some point, she'd started crying without realizing it, her eyes now swimming with tears.

She turned towards the warm presence standing behind her - a normally reassuring warmth that could only be Yang. Hesitantly looking up, Weiss found tears falling from violet eyes. Blake stood by Yang's shoulder, her ears flattened, one hand covering her mouth, her eyes filled with anguish.

"I didn't...see it," Weiss tried to explain as a sob slipped out. "I don't know...I don't know how…"

She wiped the back of one arm across her eyes, but it did nothing to dry her eyes. Lifting her hands, she found them shaking uncontrollably, and covered in blood that wasn't her own.

What happened? What happened? Her mind was in shambles. She couldn't remember. Everything was a blur. There was the Death Stalker. The mountain giving way. And then...and then…

"I don't...know how…" she struggled to gasp out. Breathing was hard, like a vice was tightening around her lungs and strangling the oxygen right out of her. And her heart...felt like it was bleeding in agony...

Reaching out, Yang pulled Weiss into a crushing hug.

"It's ok, Weiss," Yang whispered, although the way her voice cracked in the middle made it seem less so.

"But I -"

"It'll be ok," Yang continued before a series of sobs shook through her entire body. "She's s-strong, remember? She's so strong...she's g-going to be ok..."

It was pointless trying to speak past the growing lump in her throat, so Weiss just cried into Yang's shoulder, overwhelmed by heartache that seemed impossibly powerful but all too real.

What was she going to do if Ruby wasn't ok? What if Ruby didn't make it?

What had happened? Was this all her fault?


	34. Chapter 34

"That was SO AWESOME!" Yang exclaimed, pounding her fists together to emphasize that point. "Blake, I had _no_ idea you could do that with your clones. That was sexy as hell! And Ruby, you cut that thing in half!"

"What about you?" Ruby replied, feeling just as amped as her sister was. "You exploded like fifty Beowolves!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blake and Weiss share a look. Probably because they weren't nearly as excited as Ruby and Yang were, but there was a good reason to be excited! They did it! They finished The Beacon Invite! Not only had they finished it, but they finished all five rounds with a few seconds to spare!

"Congratulations, you guys!"

Turning towards the unknown voice, Ruby found another team walking towards the platform underneath the arena.

"That was _awesome_!" a girl with vibrant green hair exclaimed, rushing forward to give Ruby a double high five. "I'm gonna watch that last round in slow motion. On repeat. For the next year. Totally cool."

"Thank you!" Ruby replied as the girl jumped onto the platform with the rest of her team. "And good luck!" she called out as the platform began to rise and cheers grew louder.

People kept giving her high fives - it was really cool! She didn't know who they were, but they were happy for her. _She_ was happy for her! Because they'd finished! They'd made it all the way through the gauntlet, and Ruby hadn't made a fool of herself!

It was probably that last part that made her most happy. There were sooooo many chances to make herself look like a total noob out there, but she managed to avoid them all. Somehow. Miraculously. Maybe she was better at this huntress stuff than she thought.

When the platform made a loud clanking noise as it locked into place above their heads, Ruby smiled.

"They seemed really nice too!"

When Ruby searched for acceptance of that statement, her eyes immediately found Weiss. After giving Ruby a small smile, Weiss quickly looked down at the concrete floor and fiddled with the handle of Myrtenaster.

But shouldn't Weiss be super happy right now? Sure, there was that whole partner reveal and all the confusion that came with it, but it wasn't _that_ big a deal, right? Not bigger than finishing The Beacon Invite!

Ha. Ruby sucked at lying, even to herself. The Invite was huge, but the partner thing was like _next-level_ _huge_. Like _extra-planetary huge_. And the way Weiss avoided eye contact only made it clearer that they still needed to talk - big time.

"Come on, let's get outta here so we can watch!" Yang said then, throwing an arm around Ruby's shoulders and leading them down a set of hallways before a tall staircase appeared. As they started walking up to the main stands, she tugged Ruby close and whispered, "How're you doing? You ok?"

"Eh…"

It was hard for Ruby to say how she was doing right now. On the one hand, they'd just made it through all five rounds of The Beacon Invite! That was worthy of at least ten cakes for celebration.

On the other hand, Weiss was her partner! Like, _who_ saw that coming? Besides Yang? And Blake? And probably all of the other huntsmen here?

Holy Grimm was Ruby an idiot.

"Hold on." Pulling Ruby to the side of the staircase, Yang waved for Blake and Weiss to go on without them. "We'll catch up - find some good seats!"

Nodding, Blake continued without hesitation, but Weiss' gaze lingered much longer before she reluctantly turned and followed Blake up the stairs. As soon as they were out of earshot – or Weiss' ears at least - Yang turned to Ruby with a more serious expression.

"Ok, spill."

"What the heck!" Ruby immediately exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air. "How did - what? Like, why didn't - no one even -! Just...grrr."

Nodding at the rush of words, Yang smiled.

"Yes, yes. All great questions," she teased. "But tell me how you _really_ feel."

Pausing, Ruby tried to grasp onto something that felt like actual words or reason. How did she feel? She felt a whole bunch of things! Like surprise. There was a whole bunch of surprise. Shock. Astonishment. All those other words that were just fancier ways to say surprised. Uh, yeah. Surprised.

Also confused. What was she supposed to do with this new information? What did it _mean_? She understood what it _meant_ , but what did it _mean_ for them? For everyone?

When her mind did nothing but race from one question to the next, Ruby gave up and shook her head.

"I don't even know right now," she admitted. "There's like, so much going on up here."

When she tapped the side of her head, Yang grinned.

"It's about time that brain of yours started working! I'll tell ya - I was getting a _little_ worried."

Ruby smiled at the joke and gently shoved Yang's shoulder.

"Hey, at least mine actually started, unlike someone's!" she teased back, succeeding in making her sister laugh before she heard a loud cheer come from above them. Looking up the stairs, she bit her lip and shook her head. "Let's just watch the tournament first? Hopefully things stop moving so fast by the end."

"Ok boss! But…how do you feel about sitting with Weiss? Want me to ask her to sit with someone else?"

"No!" Ruby cried out, surprising both Yang and herself with the strong response. "I mean, of course not. I want to sit with her."

Grinning, Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulders once more and turned her back up the stairs.

"Well, that's a good start."

Sighing at the abrupt change in her life, Ruby leaned into Yang as they walked upstairs. Maybe she was confused and surprised right now, but seeing _less_ of Weiss wouldn't make that go away any faster. If anything, that would make things go slower!

At least, that's what she told herself as she and Yang got to the top of the staircase and searched for Blake and Weiss in the crowd.

"There they are!" Ruby immediately pointed out. Somehow, her eyes snapped right to Weiss amongst all the people. Maybe it was Weiss' white hair. Or maybe it was some weird karmic tracking device. Or maybe it was the way she stood out - her poise, her beauty…

Or maybe it was because Blake and Weiss were sitting in the small section of the stands reserved for participants. Yeah, it was probably that. Although a karmic tracking device would be pretty cool!

After walking down a few steps, Yang and Ruby found the right row and moved across, but not without the two teams from earlier noticing them and turning around. In near unison, the huntsmen stood up and reached out to give Ruby high fives or pat her on the back while she made her way to Blake and Weiss.

"Hey, congrats!"

"That was awesome!"

Every bit of congratulations filled her with jittery energy as she said 'thank you, thank you, thank you!' in return.

These were _huntsmen_. Real huntsmen! And they were impressed by her!

Making it across the row, Ruby found two empty seats between Blake and Weiss - clearly where she and Yang were supposed to sit. The one next to Blake might as well have a note on it that said 'fight me' - because that's what Ruby would have to do if she tried to take Yang's seat. Not that she minded! Sitting next to Weiss _was_ her preferred place to be, after all.

Dropping into the seat, Ruby found it difficult to pay attention to the fight currently happening because she was far more interested in how _straight_ Weiss was sitting. It looked like her spine had been replaced by metal rods or something! And even though Ruby was openly staring, Weiss' eyes never left the arena floor. She _had_ to feel Ruby staring, right?

"Um...hey," Ruby finally said, trying to capture Weiss' attention. When light blue eyes turned her way, she felt those familiar winged insects fluttering around her rib cage.

"Hey," Weiss offered in return, but then…Ruby didn't know what to say next. After staring at each other for a few more seconds, they both turned towards the arena.

Just in time to see the team waving their goodbyes. What horrible timing.

Tapping her fingers on her thigh, Ruby tried to think of something - _anything_ \- to say. This usually wasn't a problem. Normally, she opened her mouth and words spilled out on their own, but today even _that_ wasn't working.

It was really loud in the stadium, but Weiss was quiet - and it was that silence that made Ruby want to hop up and down or do _anything_ to make Weiss talk again. Blake and Yang were whispering amongst themselves about something, but Weiss was _silent_.

Thankfully, the next team appeared to save Ruby from the uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch on to infinity. Along with the team came the Beowolves and, from this angle, it was easier to see how many spawned in the first round. Hint - it was a lot.

"Holy cow!" Ruby said without thinking. "Is that how many we had?"

Searching her memory of the first round, she remembered a _substantial_ amount of Beowolves, but she'd been a little preoccupied with the whole 'Weiss is your partner' situation to take stock of the full amount.

"You bet!" Yang answered, her eyes glued to the fight at hand.

"It's the same for every team," Blake elaborated from Yang's other side.

"That's a lot!"

Sneaking a glance to her right, Ruby found that Weiss was still solely focused on the Beowolves and hadn't acknowledged the comment.

"How many do you think that is?" Ruby pressed, turning towards Weiss and waiting for an answer. But instead of receiving a response, she watched Weiss curl her hands in the layers of her combat skirt.

The reaction wasn't at all what Ruby expected...and that made her worry.

"Weiss, are you ok?"

The question slipped out before Ruby really thought about it - and Weiss immediately stood up.

"Yes, I'm...fine. I'll get us some food."

"Oh, uh, want me to come with you?" Ruby offered, getting to her feet. When their eyes briefly met - again sending butterflies _everywhere_ \- she blushed and averted her gaze.

"That's alright," Weiss replied. "You should watch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, please stay and enjoy the fight."

This time, Ruby managed to look at Weiss long enough to catch a small smile before Weiss picked her way through the stands towards the exit. Watching until she disappeared, Ruby couldn't help but feel guilty that she wasn't helping. Normally she would've insisted, but it kind of seemed like Weiss would have insisted _even harder_ that Ruby stay.

"Ruby, Ruby! Get ready. Watch this." Yang bumped Ruby's hip to bring her attention back to the arena.

Sinking into her seat, Ruby found that one of the contestants was glowing an unnatural blue color that grew brighter by the second. It was so bright, it was almost hard to look at.

Suddenly, cracks of static rang out while bolts of electricity shot across the arena floor, pulsing and vibrating intensely for several seconds before disappearing.

Along with the Grimm.

The crowd cheered while Ruby stared at what she'd just seen.

"That. Was. Awesome!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and clapping with the crowd.

"I dunno about awesome, but definitely _electric_ ," Yang quipped with a grin that only widened when Blake groaned. "Come on, Blake! If someone's never seen that before, it can be quite _shocking_."

Rolling her eyes, Blake reached over and used one hand to cover Yang's mouth.

"They're running out of time though," she commented, nodding to the clock before wrinkling her nose and wiping her palm on Yang's thigh.

Blake was right though - time expired shortly after, and the team headed off the arena floor to applause that Ruby wholeheartedly contributed to.

What she was witnessing was incredible. Huntsmen were so cool! Each and every one of them was so talented. Like, the small ones were fast and the big ones were powerful, but _sometimes_ the big ones were fast and the small ones were powerful! Plus, they had crazy weapons and semblances that were totally unique.

After a brief delay - during which several white tiles were replaced in the arena floor - the next team began round one, and a tiny huntress immediately barreled through Beowolves like she was at least ten times her size. Literally, she knocked them into the air like bowling pins!

This was what Ruby was talking about - a tiny huntress knocking Beowolves around like bowling pins. How was not that awesome?

It wasn't until round three that Ruby glanced at the empty seat beside her and then looked around. It was taking Weiss an awfully long time...

Catching Ruby's gaze behind Yang's back, Blake said, "The lines are usually long" - somehow reading Ruby's concern without her saying anything.

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense."

Accepting the answer, Ruby turned back to the arena, but a part of her still searched for a dash of white in the crowds. Even though things were super awkward, she was a little worried about how quiet Weiss had been before she left. She wouldn't go home or something without saying goodbye, right? Because Ruby still wanted to talk! And hopefully they could talk soon. There'd probably be more awkward silence first, but after that!

The instant she caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of her eye, Ruby forgot the tournament and popped out of her seat to rush over to Weiss - nearly tripping in the process - but making it to the stairs just in time to help her carry back a _huge_ stack of food. Huge as in ginormous! Hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos, french fries - the works!

"Jeez, Weiss! Get enough food?" Yang teased.

"You joke now, but this will be gone in a few minutes," Weiss replied while offering the entire selection for Blake to choose what she wanted. After reaching across to grab a hot dog and tray of nachos, Yang caught Ruby's eye and grinned.

"That's the truth. I'm starving!"

Once Yang and Blake had their food and turned back to the battles at hand, Ruby followed Weiss to their original seats and sat down. Reaching towards the tray for a corn dog, she accidentally brushed Weiss' hand and jerked away as if it had stung her.

"Sorry!" she apologized before flushing when she remembered that they'd held hands just this morning.

But this was so awkward! It was like she'd just discovered that she and Weiss were related!

...only not that bad. That'd be soooo much worse. Ruby would _much_ rather Weiss be her long-lost partner than her long-lost sister. Because if they were related, that'd mean...ha, yup, no more thinking about that.

The awkwardness though! Good ol' _non-related_ awkwardness.

Carefully picking up a corn dog, Weiss offered it to Ruby in a way that they wouldn't unwittingly touch again.

"If you want anything else, you'll let me know?" Weiss asked, thankfully moving past the accidental-hand-brushing incident.

"Yeah! Thank you so much!"

Weiss only partially turned to smile before watching the fighting, and Ruby did the same - except while scarfing down a corn dog and then grabbing some of Yang's nachos.

Teams came and went. Some did awesome; others were less fortunate. Whoever was in charge of spinning the arena was really good at picking a time when teams least expected it - catching several huntsmen off guard and flinging them into the stands. Thankfully, they couldn't _actually_ fly into the stands because there was an invisible wall to prevent that from happening. Ruby learned that when some poor huntsman crashed into it at an alarmingly fast speed.

One of the teams made it to round five with only a second left...which they used to set off what looked like fireworks. _Fireworks_. Yang made a ton of comments about the different huntsmen - their likes, their dislikes, how to get them to start a fight - all the essentials. Blake added great commentary about battle strategies when Yang wasn't making jokes. Ruby ooh'd and aah'd and enjoyed the spectacle while only _slightly_ drooling at the close-ups of the weapons on the big screen.

But Weiss hardly said a word...and her eyes were trained straightforward nearly the entire time.

It was like a giant Ursa was sitting on the bleachers between them, and Weiss didn't want to look at it. Ruby could understand why...a giant Ursa sitting here would be pretty dang scary - she wouldn't want to look at it either. Would it growl? Would it drool? Did Ursas drool? Probably when they smelled the corn dogs she and Yang had demolished. Those were good.

Whatever sat in between them, Weiss didn't want to look at it - not even when Ruby glanced over, _repeatedly_. All she saw was Weiss' knee lightly bouncing up and down while her hands were perfectly curled in her lap.

They got to see a couple teams of three compete too. The crowd cheered extra hard for those teams - like they were trying to be the extra teammate with their voices. It was fun! The whole event was really fun. Even not knowing what to say to Weiss, Ruby was having a great time.

"Ok guys, CFVY is next."

Yang's announcement immediately perked Ruby's interest. This was the team that won last year, so they _had_ to be awesome.

And they were. The first round hardly started before it ended in a blur. They were _fast!_ The tall girl Ruby met earlier, Coco, leveled an entire half of the arena with a minigun while her teammates destroyed everything else. Next, the two with giant swords destroyed most of the Ursa using this crazy swing and lunge strategy. The four of them together befuddled the King T's into nonexistence. Then Coco went full beast mode on the Death Stalkers. That gun never ran out of bullets!

The end result? They had a _lot_ more than ten seconds left for the last round. Which was great! It meant that the giant monster machine would actually get to shoot at something!

And boy did it ever. As soon as the round started, rockets poured out, drawing a line of explosions on the floor while the turrets followed the paths of two huntsmen. Ruby watched in amazement as the team split up in what looked like effortless coordination. It was smart too - they surrounded the machine on four sides so that the bullets and rockets were as spaced out as possible.

When Coco drew the machine's full attention, the boy with the _giant_ sword rushed forward and hit it from behind - plunging the weapon into the thick plating before it swung and knocked him a good fifty feet backwards.

While the towering mech tracked the boy, the girl with the camera - Velvet - rushed straight into a barrage of rockets. But she was quick. As each missile hit the ground, she hopped to the side and found safety before continuing. When she was close enough, she sprang forward - and Ruby's jaw dropped open when she pulled Crescent Rose out of thin air and slammed it into metal armor.

The machine tried to knock Velvet off, but she'd already catapulted away and rolled under one of its giant legs. Disoriented, it fired a slew of rockets in all directions, but they fell harmlessly to the ground.

Velvet already had another weapon in her hands, which she thrust into an ankle joint before avoiding another attack. A javelin was thrown into the chest plating, then duel katanas sliced through exposed wiring - next came a staff, daggers, crossbow. Every time she used a weapon, a new one appeared in her hands.

Glancing at the time, Ruby saw that it was quickly running out. They needed to take it down soon.

When another round of missiles fired helplessly into the air, the other three team members shot forward at once - all four powerful huntsmen rushing it. The turrets let out a few seconds of high-pitched whirring before the noise suddenly stopped, and the giant contraption broke into pieces, crumbling to the ground as a chime rang out.

"Damn," Yang exhaled, leaning back and clapping while the rest of the crowd roared with applause. "Gotta hand it to 'em. They're good."

Looking at the clock, Ruby saw that Team CFVY had finished a total of six seconds earlier than they had. That was the least of her surprise though, as she used one hand to feel that Crescent Rose was still attached to her.

"Uh...what?" she asked no one in particular. "How did - but…"

"Velvet has some tricks," Weiss commented, _finally_ looking at Ruby and smiling.

It was like the sun had just come out - even though it was already night time.

"That's so cool!" Ruby replied, excitement overcoming her like light blue orbs of happiness.

"Looks like this wasn't our year…" Blake muttered, reaching over to hold Yang's hand.

"That's ok though," Ruby said with a big grin. "We'll be even better next year!"

CFVY was fast because they were coordinated, like a really fancy color scheme. Each member knew their role, while Ruby and her teammates had made due mostly as individuals. But if they had some team practices and went on more hunts together, they should be able to do the same thing. It would take practice, but they could totally do it.

Because this was her team. And Weiss was her partner.

That was gonna take a _whole_ lot of getting used to.

When the last team of the day competed, Ruby settled back in to watch. Or at least, she watched until a small disturbance caught her attention. Turning around, she felt her eyes widen while when she saw Team CFVY walk down the steps of the arena before heading across the row of seats in front of her.

"Good job, you guys!" she called out, adding to the slew of congratulations they were already receiving. But at Ruby's words, Coco tilted her head down and smiled overtop her sunglasses.

"The compliments belong to you today," Coco said, reaching out to shake Ruby's hand before heading to a set of seats further down the row.

Just a _little_ starstruck, Ruby watched Coco walk away before Velvet reached over and tapped the top of Crescent Rose.

"Thanks for letting me borrow her," she said, giving Ruby a smile and nod before following Coco away. The last two members of the team stopped in front of Ruby and shook her hand before moving on - the gestures making her feel incredibly...special.

When Ruby looked to her left, Blake and Yang both smiled at her - with Yang flashing a quick thumbs up. Turning to the other side, Ruby felt even happier when Weiss smiled.

And, for a brief moment, it looked like Weiss might reach out to pat Ruby's leg in congratulations. Instead, she dropped her hand back into her lap and clasped both of her hands together.

Disappointed by the reaction, Ruby was about to say something when a chime rang out. Looking away, she found the last team regrouping at the center of the arena, waving all the while.

"And that's a wrap!" the girl announcer said over the loudspeakers. "Let's hear it again for our winners - Team CFVY!"

Loud cheers swept across the crowd, congratulating the victors as they stood and waved.

"Also congratulate our runners-up - the returning Team RWBY."

When the cheers renewed, Ruby quickly hopped to her feet with the rest of her teammates. If any of them were disappointed in second place, she couldn't tell. And she certainly wasn't disappointed. Second place was awesome! Go Team Ruby! Er, RWBY!

"Last, but not least, let's hear it for _all_ our huntsmen!"

It didn't seem possible, but the cheers grew even louder - one last thunderous round of applause, the loudest Ruby had heard all day. At the same moment, fireworks shot into the sky above the stadium - real ones this time - the combined effect giving her goosebumps.

While the fireworks crackled and boomed above their heads and the crowds stomped their feet, with clapping and whistling in between, Yang reached over and pulled Ruby into a sideways hug.

"They're cheering for you, Ruby," Yang whispered in Ruby's ear before kissing the top of her head. "And everything you've done for them."

Wrapping both arms around her sister's waist, Ruby smiled at the appreciation all huntsmen were receiving for the risks they took for strangers they might never meet outside of this moment. The gratitude was heartfelt. And...it made her proud to be a huntress, even if she was only a fledgling one right now.

After the cheers died down, The Beacon Invite officially ended and everyone made their way towards the exits. Progress was slow, and by the time they were walking towards the airships - trudging along with the crowd - Ruby's feet were _dragging_.

Last night, she'd been so excited and nervous that she couldn't fall asleep. Then she woke up too early. Then she spent all that energy fighting the fake Grimm. And there was that whole Weiss thing.

Basically, Ruby was _exhausted._ But from the way everyone's feet scuffed along the ground, they were tired too.

Meanwhile, Weiss hadn't said anything in a long time now. Ruby wanted to say something, but she couldn't figure out _what_ to say to break this awkwardness? 'Howdy, partner?'

This was almost as confusing as that time she woke up without years of memories…

Reaching the stairs to the airship landing, Ruby groaned while dragging herself up them. There were _so many_ steps...and everyone was walking really slow - like zombies. For a split second, she considered asking Yang to carry her, but...she didn't want to look like a wuss in front of all these people.

Fortunately, the stairs eventually fell behind, and Ruby recognized the man and woman from earlier in the day standing off to one side - where most of the crowd would pass them by. Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, Yang had said. The two of them were politely sending everyone off to the airships like this was some grand party they'd just hosted. A party Ruby would gladly attend any day!

"Miss Rose," Ozpin greeted her with a smile and tilt of his head when she drew close with him. "I hope we'll be seeing your name claiming all of the hunts once again."

"Oh, I dunno about that," she replied respectfully. "Just happy to be healthy right now."

Nodding once, he smiled at Yang and Blake before his eyes landed on Weiss. "And Miss Schnee," he continued. "It was lovely seeing you again."

Dipping her head, Weiss gave him a tiny curtsy before he turned his attention to another group of huntsmen trailing behind them. When she finally looked up, she caught Ruby staring - but as soon as their eyes met, Ruby turned away with warm cheeks.

 _Weiss_ was her partner.

Most of the past year had been solely focused on training, but whenever Ruby paused and took a few seconds to think about what her partner might be like, she'd assumed _capable_ , but _aloof_. Kind of like Blake only more aloof and less attached to Yang's side.

She'd never imagined someone like Weiss. Weiss was amazing! Smart, kind, a great fighter, extra beautiful…

Then...why had Weiss been in Atlas? They got along so well! And she seemed to like Ruby, so...so what happened?

Did it matter? They were together now.

Not _together_ together, but - like...well...

Internally groaning, Ruby resisted the urge to put her head in her hands as the excitement of The Invite faded away. Her brain wanted to explode right about now. Questions, questions, so many nonstop questions...

Trudging onto the airship that would take them home, she collapsed in the row behind Yang and Blake. Weiss sat next to her, of course.

 _Of course_. Right? Of course Weiss sat next to Ruby - they were partners.

Ok, if Ruby couldn't handle _this_ , Yang wouldn't tell her anything else about her past _ever_. She'd been all 'I can handle it' and 'It's no big deal,' so she needed to work through this! Whatever this weirdness was that had suddenly sprouted between them, she would figure it out and make it go away.

When Yang had delivered the news that their teammate hadn't been able to make it, Ruby was initially disappointed, but that feeling quickly disappeared. What did she have to be disappointed about? That her partner - whom she'd never met - hadn't showed up? Someone else _had_ shown up - Weiss. Weiss was there like she'd promised she would be, helping keep Ruby's nerves at a moderate level on what had otherwise been a kind of stressful day.

But they were one and the same person!

Sighing, Ruby leaned against the wall of the ship and looked out the window. There was too much buzzing through her head right now, and the lack of conversation only made it worse. She needed a distraction or _something_ to take her mind off of it.

At least she got to sit by the window again! Watching the world fly by was something she'd never get tired of. Everything was so itty bitty and small from up here. Now that it was nighttime, there were a bunch of little yellow orbs marking the evidence of humanity. Everything else was darkness and wilderness.

In addition to staring out the window, Ruby snuck glances at Weiss every chance she had. Still nothing happening there...except Weiss tapping her fingers rapidly on her leg. Oh well…

Back outside the window, the moon hung in front of them - unmoving no matter how fast the ship flew. When Ruby focused on one special piece, a feeling of content and happiness flowed through her.

The moon was shining brightly tonight. Extra bright. Almost as if...

"She'd be proud of you."

The unexpected comment made Ruby look at Weiss in surprise. Smiling softly, Weiss nodded towards the window. Following Weiss' gaze, Ruby stared at the moon while the clouds flew by below. The picture was so beautiful...it did feel like her mom was saying congratulations, in her own way.

"I hope so…" Ruby whispered before leaning against the glass.

She hoped she'd made her mom proud today. That's all she'd ever wanted to do - give her mom reasons to be proud of her. Same with Yang. And Blake. And all of the people who'd helped her get back to this moment. Weiss too. Weiss had helped so much in the short time she'd been around. The last thing Ruby wanted to do was let any of them down.

"Ruby."

Blake's whisper drew Ruby's eyes from the window to find Blake looking over the back of the seats. She motioned for Ruby and Weiss to look over the chair, which they did - only to find Yang passed out next to Blake. Like, the type of passed out where they could probably get away with _anything_ right now.

"Do you have a marker?" Ruby immediately whispered, making Blake smile and shake her head 'no.' "Weiss?" Ruby whispered while turning to her right. "Marker?"

After thinking about the request for a few seconds, Weiss rummaged around in her bag before pulling out a blue pen and holding it up in the air.

"You didn't get it from me," Weiss said as Ruby gleefully took it and slipped into the aisle.

She'd already removed the cap and thought of the perfect thing to write ('Ruby's the best') when the ship suddenly docked with a soft jolt that startled Yang awake and made her nearly jump out of her seat in surprise. When Blake laughed and Ruby quickly hid the pen by her side, Yang gave them a sheepish grin.

"Guess I was tired," she mumbled before a big yawn slipped out. "Come on, let's get home. You heading home, Weiss?"

Before Weiss replied, she looked at Ruby as if searching for permission.

"Come over for a cup of tea, at least," Blake suggested before either of them had a chance to speak. "Just for a few minutes."

Again, Weiss looked at Ruby first and, when Ruby nodded, finally did the same.

"That sounds nice," Weiss answered with a strained smile.

Relieved that Weiss wasn't running off to who-knows-where so soon, Ruby gladly followed her sister and Blake off of the ship. The airship station wasn't far from home, and it was only a short, quiet car ride until they were there. As soon as they stepped through the front door, Yang walked over and flopped onto the sofa while Blake went to boil water for tea. After leaning Crescent Rose against the wall, Ruby knelt down and unlaced her boots.

Removing her boots was second nature by now, but today she stared at them intently, watching the laces unfold in her hands before loosening the lower ties enough that she could easily pull them off. Setting them in the closet, she closed the door and sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table while a sigh of content slipped out. Her feet were pretty happy to be free from her boots after a long day!

A few minutes later, Blake set a mug of hot chocolate in front of Ruby before making cups of tea for herself and Weiss. Wrapping her hands around the warm cup, Ruby leaned forward and took a big whiff of the chocolatey aroma.

Ahhhh hot chocolate...the perfect end to any day - even one as crazy as this.

Everyone else seemed to feel the same way Ruby did. Yang was conked out on the couch. The slight droop in Blake's ordinarily upright ears broadcast her own exhaustion. And Weiss stared down at her cup, swirling it mindlessly while her eyes glazed over.

"What a day," Blake finally summarized with a sigh.

"Yeah…" Ruby replied. Weiss said nothing, but nodded.

"I hope you had fun?" Blake directed to Ruby.

As soon as Blake asked the question, Ruby felt Weiss' eyes on her...waiting for the answer.

"I did!" she replied honestly. "It was crazy, but fun. Crazy fun, I guess! But also great because…I just love spending time with all of you!"

She added that last part because it was the truth. No matter what they were to each other, or what secret identities they had, she loved being around Yang and Blake and Weiss.

Fortunately, the answer seemed to provide Weiss with a little relief - enough that she managed to take a small sip of her tea before more silence fell over the room.

After spending the day surrounded by crowds, the quiet in the house was deafening. Ruby wanted to turn on music or TV or _anything_ to remove the silence - instead, she drained her cup of hot chocolate before letting out another sigh. Standing to take her cup to the sink, she gestured for Blake's mug too and left both in the sink to wash later.

Blake, meanwhile, went to the sofa and woke Yang with a gentle shake of one shoulder. It was _highly_ recommended that no one else _ever_ try to wake Yang up that way - unless they wanted to startle her and receive a fist to the face - but Blake didn't need to worry about that.

"Yang," she whispered, loud enough that Ruby and Weiss could hear. "Let's go to bed."

Mumbling something unintelligible, Yang allowed Blake to reach both arms underneath her and pull her to her feet. Once standing on her own, Yang yawned and looked around the room. When her eyes found Weiss, who was standing uncomfortably in the kitchen, Yang walked over and pulled her into a hug.

For a second, Weiss looked utterly caught off guard by the impromptu hug and stood with her arms at her sides - until she finally hugged back. The two of them shared that moment for a long time while Yang whispered something - Ruby could see her sister's lips moving, but couldn't make out the words. Weiss nodded several times before Yang finally let go - smiling before heading towards the hall. Passing by Ruby, Yang squeezed her shoulder and planted a loud kiss on the top of her head.

"Goodnight kiddo. Good job today."

"Thank you," Ruby replied with a quick grin, her eyes drawn back to Weiss as Yang disappeared down the hall with Blake. Weiss watched their teammates walk away before hesitantly turning to Ruby and then immediately looking away.

"I guess I should get going…"

"Wait!"

Midway through turning towards the front door, Weiss froze at the sound of Ruby's voice. Ruby hadn't thought of anything to say after 'wait,' but she'd panicked when she thought Weiss might leave. Weiss couldn't leave yet - there was still so much they needed to talk about!

"Could we maybe...talk?" Ruby finally asked. It was a great question because, based on this afternoon, maybe they _weren't_ capable of talking anymore. But Weiss nodded and mustered a smile that was half powered, at best.

"Sure."

With that answer, the two of them stood awkwardly by the kitchen table until Ruby motioned for Weiss to follow her to her room. It'd be easier to have a conversation in there instead of out in the open. Just a little conversation with Weiss.

Her teammate. Her partner.

Making it into her room, Ruby quietly shut the door while Weiss stood in front of the bed looking stiff and uncomfortable. Undeterred by the continued awkwardness, Ruby sat on the edge of her bed and gestured Weiss towards the empty desk chair.

If Ruby had learned anything in her life so far, it was that the cure for awkwardness was talking. Which meant they had a _whole_ _lot_ of talking to do.

"Uh...so...hi."

Yup - cue the awkward conversation. Good start, Ruby.

"Hi," Weiss replied softly, not seeming at all bothered by Ruby's less-than-stellar conversation starter.

Fidgeting on the bed, Ruby opened and closed her mouth while trying to figure out what to say next. Where was the best place to start? What should they talk about first?

"So...we're partners, huh?"

That was as good a place as any.

"Yes. We...were."

Ruby's brow creased at the response.

"You mean we are?"

"That's up to you."

Picking at the hem of her skirt, Weiss avoided eye contact - as if she was afraid of what Ruby's response might be.

That was so silly though! Rewind to this morning, and Weiss was one of Ruby's favorite people in the world. She'd invited Weiss to join their team because she _wanted_ Weiss to be her partner. And why had she wanted Weiss to be her partner? Because Weiss was _incredible,_ and Ruby loved every moment they spent together.

Nothing had changed! Except the revelation that Weiss had known Ruby all along. And they'd already been partners. But throw that out and tell Ruby from this morning that Weiss would be her partner - she'd be ecstatic.

She _should_ be ecstatic. Weiss _was_ her partner! Her wish had been granted! Sure, there was that whole memory thing, but that'd be fixed in time. Oh, and there was the fact that Ruby had been acting like they'd just met when Weiss had already known her for years. That was a _little_ embarrassing.

But they were partners! Instead of getting a stranger to learn about, Ruby got Weiss - who she already knew a lot about and already knew she liked. Wasn't this really the best case scenario?

"You know, this is actually great!" Ruby remarked with a big grin, drawing Weiss' confused gaze.

"It…is?"

"Yeah! I mean, you see, there was this other girl who I kinda wanted to be partners with..." Ruby explained, trying to sound nonchalant. "But she might be too busy with work. If _you're_ free for...general partner things...then that's great! I'd love to have an awesome partner like you."

Had she been expecting this? No. But she hadn't expected to wake up without years of her life either. Sometimes life threw a mean curveball - she'd learned to deal with it. Even if her mind was still kind of a mess, she was going to move forward with how she'd felt this morning about the person sitting in front of her. And she had to believe that everything would be just fine in the end. It might take time, like all that training she'd done, but anything was possible with some effort and a positive attitude!

That line of thought seemed to be lost on Weiss though, who stared at Ruby in shock.

"You're not mad at me?"

"For what?"

"Ruby, I've seen you almost every day for the past few weeks. Shouldn't you be upset that I never told you?"

"Uh...I don't think so. Why?"

Weiss seemed upset by the fact that Ruby _wasn't_ upset - which didn't make much sense. Why would she be mad? It felt good to finallyyyy acknowledge what had happened! Hello, Mr. Ursa. We see you. We acknowledge you. Now go home!

"Because I befriended you under false pretenses!"

"Uh, maybe. But so did Blake," Ruby pointed out before shrugging. "It's no big deal. It's not like you pretended to be a _different_ person - you just didn't mention the past. And, to be fair, I never asked."

"Yes, but -"

Before Weiss could go into more 'but's, Ruby reached out and grabbed her hands - which got her full attention in a hurry.

"I still think you're the greatest!" Ruby said honestly, shaking Weiss' hands in hopes that would get her to stop questioning everything.

Instead, tears immediately welled in her eyes.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she whispered while her tears grew. The sight pulled painfully at Ruby's heart, and she squeezed Weiss' hands more firmly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ruby asked, leaning forward so they were closer together. "You're a great person! And I lo...like you a lot."

A moment of confusion bubbled over, but Ruby managed to pull it off.

That word came out of nowhere!

"But…"

"Nope!" Ruby shook her head to stop the protests. "I don't want to hear another 'but.' 'But' nothing. I know why you couldn't just walk up and tell me the truth. I mean, I don't wanna brag, but I'm _kind of_ a pro at this whole amnesia thing by now. Just don't ask me for tips - because I can't remember them."

Even though Weiss' eyes still shimmered with tears, she cracked a smile at Ruby's joke. The sight was like a great big ball of relief rolling happily down the street - no gutters to be found.

"Can I give you a hug now?" Ruby asked when it looked like the tears had passed for now. Receiving a nod in response, she leaned forward and pulled Weiss into a nice, tight hug.

The moment they touched, Ruby felt any unease or uncertainty slip away.

Weiss hugged the same. It was warm and comfortable in this weirdly-familiar way. Maybe they'd given each other lots of hugs when they'd been partners. Maybe that's why Ruby had felt so close to Weiss so quickly.

The thought made Ruby wish for her memories back more than ever before. Because Weiss was in there - trapped somewhere. If only Ruby could remember…

Breaking away from the hug, Ruby could tell that Weiss felt better now too. It must've been so nerve-wracking to worry that Ruby might be mad...or that she might be _so_ mad that their friendship would be ruined. But that would never happen, and hopefully Weiss saw that now - that was the power of a really great hug.

And, thankfully, some of the awkwardness seemed to have disappeared.

See? Talking through the awkward made everything better. And, now that they'd passed that patch, Ruby thought of another question she'd had for quite some time. It was another topic she wondered about but never pressed to know…until now.

"You were there, weren't you?" she asked, knowing the answer the instant Weiss looked away.

"Yes."

Yang had told Ruby a little bit about what happened, but only the briefest of outlines - the forest, Death Stalkers, major ouchies. As enlightening as that information was, now that she was healthy, she wondered exactly what brought her to this point.

"Will you tell me?"

The question instantly brought Weiss' gaze back to her.

"Please?" she added before Weiss could say 'no.'

Ruby had many gaps in her memory, and she'd accepted that they'd never be entirely filled. But she'd just _partially_ filled in the space labeled 'partner,' so maybe she could add a little more information to her memory bank.

"I can handle it," she tacked on as additional assurance. "I trust you."

For several moments, Weiss looked unsure - then she took a deep, shaky breath and nodded once.

"Alright...but please tell me if I should stop."

When Ruby nodded, Weiss took another deep breath before speaking.

"We were called to clear out a hive," she began slowly, her eyes searching out Ruby's. "Do you know what those are?"

"A huge ball of Death Stalkers. Really dangerous."

"Exactly," Weiss replied with a nod. Sighing again at the memory, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"This one was close to the wall - too close to be left alone. Our objective was to sneak up and collapse the cave before mopping up the rest. But the intel we had was missing a critical piece of information."

Weiss' brow furrowed before she continued.

"The hive was hidden in a cave, the cave was hidden in a mountain, and the mountain was sitting on top of an underground system of caverns that ran for miles in either direction. Detonating the charges caused a fissure in the ground - it all broke apart. That normally wouldn't be much of a problem, but...but we were standing on top of another hive. Sneaking up on the one we knew about, we stumbled into one we didn't know was there."

While Weiss spoke, Ruby tried to imagine the memory playing out in the forest. A mountain, caves, Death Stalkers...

"We were trapped between them; the ground was falling away, it was chaos. We called for backup, but we were on our own until JNPR could get there. We separated - formed a defensive square, but there was too much noise. We were bringing the entire forest towards the city. You made the call, and it was the right one - we drew the Grimm deeper into the forest."

Briefly pausing, Weiss' lip quivered before she continued.

"The mountain range hemmed us in, and we were running away from help. I don't even know how far we made it before we ran into a wall of Ursa. Then the Beowolves…we had to stand and fight. And we held them until the Death Stalkers started climbing the face of the mountain. Suddenly...suddenly, you yelled for me to watch out. When I turned, you sliced through a stinger right before it reached me. B-but the side of the mountain was falling apart. Boulders were crashing down and the other Death Stalkers...they never should've been able to catch you, but they flailed so wildly…"

Sensing how much of a struggle this was for Weiss to get through, Ruby reached out for her hands again. Thankfully, Weiss accepted Ruby's attempt at support - squeezing her hands tightly before continuing.

"It's my fault," Weiss whispered, letting her gaze fall to the floor. "I wasn't paying enough attention. Somehow...somehow, one got behind me. I didn't see it until it was too late, but you were already there."

When a teardrop splashed onto the back of Ruby's hand, she realized that Weiss had started crying.

Ruby had never felt true heartbreak before, but seeing Weiss cry...that must be pretty close.

"You always looked out for me…" Weiss said, more agony slipping into her tone. "And I c-couldn't do the same for you. I should've been faster reacting to the first ones - the ones on my left. I should've b-been better…I'm s-so sorry that you got hurt..."

If the story left Ruby in shock, it left Weiss in pain - and a lot of it. It was in her posture, her clenched hands, her tears. It rolled off of her in waves while tears rolled down her cheeks.

And Ruby suddenly understood that the memories that plagued Weiss…the reasons behind her tentativeness and concealed sadness were linked to this moment.

Compassion swelled in Ruby's chest as she leaned closer and used one hand to gently wipe a tear from Weiss' cheek.

"Weiss…" she said quietly, wiping another tear away while waiting for crystal blue eyes to meet hers.

Weiss' injuries were worse than Ruby's because they were invisible and longer lasting. What physical therapy could be done to heal a broken conscience? What pill could be prescribed to remove the effects of guilt?

"It's not your fault," Ruby concluded.

"How can you say that?"

"Because!" she exclaimed, lowering her voice when the unexpected volume made Weiss jolt in surprise. "Because it's dangerous out there. We know the risks, and we accept them just by walking into the forest. We accept that our teammates have our backs, but we'll have theirs too. If I had the choice between losing my memories again or keeping you safe…"

As her words trailed off, Ruby realized that there was no question which of those options she'd choose. She'd never considered herself to be particularly brave, but the idea of Weiss being in harm's way...

"Well, I hope you'll come see me in the hospital the second time around," she finished with a chuckle.

"I won't leave you again," Weiss murmured towards her lap before looking up with still-glistening eyes. "I promise."

The promise filled Ruby with a pleasant warmth, and she _knew_ that it was the truth – that Weiss would be there from here on out. That realization, when combined with the way Weiss was looking at her right now, caused an unfamiliar yet strong tug inside Ruby's chest.

 _She should kiss Weiss_.

Suddenly remembering that she'd _kind of_ already done that earlier today, her cheeks heated up and she turned away. Weiss was her teammate and she'd...well…she'd taken a page out of Yang's book, so to speak.

 _Yang_.

"Then Yang was mad at you because…" Ruby's voice trailed off while her mind pieced together the puzzle. "Oh."

That explained a lot. She knew how hyper-protective Yang could be. One time, a bully had picked on Ruby at school. He didn't pick on _anyone_ else ever again.

"Because I left you," Weiss said anyway. "And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's the biggest mistake I've ever made, and I regret it every day."

Nodding numbly, Ruby waited for that new bit of knowledge to sink in. Here she'd thought Weiss had done something to offend Yang personally, but turns out...

"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner -" Weiss added.

"It's ok; I get it. Head injuries and all..." Ruby replied while gesturing to the scar hidden underneath her hair.

If there was one thing she understood really well, it was _why_ they'd protected her from her past for so long. She'd been injured, vulnerable, and unstable. For a while _Blake_ made her uneasy - she could only imagine Weiss would've made her feel the same way.

"But you had a right to know. I wanted to tell you, but…" Weiss paused, looking downcast. "I was worried you'd hate me."

"Well _that_ I certainly won't do! You came back, didn't you?"

"It took me a year."

"You came back right when I needed you," Ruby said. "To be my...friend."

'Friend' was a bit of a confusing term at the moment, but things didn't have to change between them because of the past, right? She didn't even remember the past! She didn't remember Beacon. She didn't remember being a huntress. She didn't remember Weiss -

A sharp pain shot through Ruby's heart when that thought crossed her mind. It was easy to think of everything from her perspective, but what about from Weiss' point of view? Weiss was forgotten by her partner. Erased as if she'd never existed. That must've been so horrible go through.

Even though the past was out of Ruby's control, guilt began to build in her chest. The idea of causing Weiss pain in _any_ way didn't exactly feel great. But she could always make it better, right?

"Ok, how about a happy subject?" she asked, feeling that that was as much sad information as she needed for now. Scooting back on her bed and laying down, she patted the covers so that Weiss would join her. "How about...tell me how we met!"

The suggestion made Weiss laugh as she wiped away her tears and laid down facing Ruby.

"Oh grimm...that is _so_ not a happy story, but if you want to know...you knocked over my suitcases on move-in day. I called you an imbecile. I thought you were immature and an idiot. Blake actually defended you - the two of you didn't know each other at the time, but she stood up for you."

For a few seconds, Ruby stared at Weiss in surprise. She'd kind of expected a more touching story than that...

"Ok...then how about...how did we become partners?"

Again, Weiss laughed and shook her head - the laughter helping her eyes regain some of their sparkle.

"We stumbled into each other in the forest. I refused to be your partner and walked away. Then my second option was...worse...so I came back and dragged you off."

"Uh...we were actually _friends_ at some point, right?" Ruby joked, succeeding in making Weiss lightly laugh.

"Of course we were. More than friends, we were…" Pausing, Weiss gave Ruby a small smile. "Best friends."

The answer made Ruby grin like a fool. Rolling onto her back, she put her hands behind her head and looked at the ceiling.

It was strange to be told these things about her past, but some of what she'd just learned made her pretty dang happy. She didn't feel much connection to the stories, yet she believed everything Weiss said - and would be ecstatic to consider them a part of her past.

"So we were best friends?" she asked again, because she liked how it sounded.

"Yes, we were."

Again, Ruby smiled.

"I've never had a best friend," she admitted. "Unless you count Yang. Which I don't, cuz she's my sister."

"I'd never had one either," Weiss replied softly.

Thinking about the term, Ruby stared at the ceiling and grasped the ring around her neck.

Best friends. Did that mean they knew each other better than anyone else? Did they go everywhere together? Hang out all the time? That last part sounded like how they were now!

Wait a second.

With the ring sitting halfway down her finger, Ruby suddenly paused and looked at it. She'd always assumed that it was from her partner because of how important it felt, but _Weiss_ was her partner. Did that mean...it from Weiss?

Laying extra still so as not to attract attention or give away her sudden realization, Ruby's mind raced wildly. But _holy Grimm!_ What did the ring mean then? What was it for? Was it like the ring she'd made for Weiss? But that was different. Ruby hid some of her feelings for Weiss in that ring.

...but what if this was the same? What if _Weiss'_ feelings were in this ring?

Then what did 'eternity' mean? Well, obviously Ruby knew what the word meant. It meant forever, but in this context…did it mean they'd be together forever?

 _Together_ together?

A pretty important question suddenly popped into Ruby's head, but she didn't know if she dared to ask it. She needed to know though, because it _felt_ like there was something more there. Only after opening and closing her mouth several times did she somehow gather the courage to speak.

"Were we, uh...just best friends?"

It hadn't been her intention to ask so quietly, but the words came as nothing more than a whisper. When she didn't receive a response right away, she waited – holding her breath in the process. Eventually, she ran out of both air and patience and glanced over…only to find that Weiss had fallen asleep.

Smiling to herself, Ruby rolled onto her side so they were facing each other. Maybe it was creepy to watch someone sleep, but no one would know unless they caught her. Plus, Weiss was just so beautiful...Ruby never had the opportunity to stare without being rude, but wow, Weiss was pretty. Perfect skin, cute little nose and curled eyelashes.

And when Weiss was sleeping, she looked so...free. It was a night-and-day transformation. The awake version of Weiss could be almost unapproachable, but when she was asleep, she looked…peaceful.

That's what it was. For someone who carried a great deal of weight on her shoulders, Weiss finally looked peaceful.

Trying to be as stealthy as possible, Ruby wriggled a little closer.

It must've been so hard to keep that knowledge inside for so long - to start from scratch and work her way back into Ruby's life when they'd once been so close. Ruby couldn't even imagine how hard that had been. If Weiss forgot her tomorrow, she'd have a hard time not shouting it from the rooftops and making a spectacular fool of herself trying to get Weiss to remember.

Hesitantly, Ruby reached out and took one of Weiss' hands in her own. Weiss didn't wake up but shifted in her sleep, her mouth parting while a soft sigh of relief passed her gorgeous lips.

It was such a simple action, but to Ruby, it felt like...like she'd just moved a mountain with her bare hands.

All this time, she'd poured her heart and soul into becoming a huntress. Today had been a big success but lying here...watching Weiss sleep so serenely...filled Ruby with a level of satisfaction she hadn't known existed.

Without a doubt, Ruby would give up all of her training if that helped Weiss sleep soundly every night. She'd give up being a huntress if that took away Weiss' worry and guilt. She'd give up everything she'd ever worked for...for Weiss.

Ruby had spent her entire life chasing one goal...and then it changed without her even realizing it.

"Goodnight, Weiss," she whispered before leaning forward and barely brushing a kiss to Weiss' forehead, feeling her cheeks warm when she moved away but enjoying the sensation all the same. "I'm so glad you're my partner..."


	35. Chapter 35

**I don't know if I can say thank you enough for the support this story has received! I'm really happy you're enjoying it so much, especially as we get to see our characters start to grow. Nearly to the three-quarter mark now!**

* * *

The moment Weiss woke up, she sensed that something was...not quite right. And by not quite right, she meant that everything felt undoubtedly familiar. The smell of roses hung heavily in the air, as fragrant as a fresh bouquet might be. The covers were soft, but in a way that suggested they were well worn instead of needlessly expensive. And the general feeling of warmth was far greater than any empty bed could ever offer.

The second Weiss opened her eyes and found herself looking at the plain white ceiling of an unfamiliar bedroom, sleep jolted away from her. Her heart began to race on instinct - fearing the combination of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and what it might mean for her psyche.

Was this a new version of a nightmare? Was her subconscious luring her into believing Ruby was nearby, only to tear them apart at the last second?

As the seconds ticked past and nothing changed, she slowly accepted that this wasn't a nightmare - because she wasn't dreaming. She was awake and enjoying the scent of roses, but with none of the heartache she'd come to believe was mandatory when scratching the surface of the past.

Recognizing that she was awake, she focused on the rest of her being - mainly, trying to move. A heavy weight held her in place, however, so she turned her head to see what it was.

And suddenly found herself face-to-face with a still-sleeping Ruby Rose.

If Weiss hadn't been awake before, she certainly was now. Her senses shot to high alert, and her breathing escalated while her eyes rapidly took in the situation and determined that Ruby was...wrapped around her. One arm weighed down her chest, while Ruby's right leg lay over both of Weiss'.

She fell asleep in Ruby's bed.

They were talking and she fell asleep. In Ruby's bed. This was Ruby's room. That was Ruby's plain white ceiling up above. These were Ruby's comfortable covers tucked around her. That was Ruby's warmth sharing the bed with her.

What...happened?

Racking her brain, which refused to function as it normally did, Weiss remembered how exhausting yesterday had been, both physically and emotionally. Between going back to Beacon, telling Ruby the truth, and fighting in The Invite, it was reasonable to expect her to fall asleep at the soonest opportunity.

But it was unexpected for Ruby to cuddle Weiss in her sleep.

Staring at the sleeping girl beside her, Weiss felt her heart rate climb and climb - only stopping when it hammered in her ears. _Stay calm_ , she reminded herself while trying to take a steady breath and failing. She needed to calm down. They'd slept in the same bed thousands of times before - every night for years. This was _not_ a huge deal.

But it _was_. This wasn't Ruby _._ This was _Ruby_. The new one. The one Weiss hadn't even kissed yet.

Turning back to the ceiling, Weiss focused on breathing as quietly as possible so as not to wake Ruby up. In the meantime, she struggled to pull together the last memory she had before waking up moments ago.

They'd been talking...Ruby had been talking, and then she fell silent for a long time. It was at that moment that Weiss felt a massive wave of exhaustion wash over her - the result of a day that had wreaked havoc on her mental resolve. During the silence, she'd allowed her eyes to close for only a second...or so she'd thought. Seeing as how the late morning sun was already peeking through the curtains covering Ruby's windows, it had apparently been much longer than a few seconds.

Ruby must have noticed that Weiss fell asleep, right? And she was comfortable enough to fall asleep by Weiss' side?

It wouldn't have been inappropriate to wake Weiss up. She could have moved to the sofa or dragged herself into a taxi to go home. Or, since Ruby was probably too polite to do that, _she_ could have slipped out to the living room by herself.

Instead, she was here. With Weiss.

Did this mean that things were alright between them? Last night they'd gone through several painful memories, yet Ruby hadn't seemed angry or upset at the role Weiss had played in them. In her worst nightmares, Ruby froze her out completely - too angry at what she'd done to even allow her to explain or apologize. But last night, Ruby talked, listened, and encouraged Weiss to share more. She'd never dared dream that Ruby would be so...receptive...

As her heart crawled down from its ledge in her throat, Weiss slowly twisted so she could stare at Ruby - and felt a small smile appear. All too often, she blinked and missed out on these opportunities - these little instances that were to be appreciated, not overlooked. It was only Ruby's absence that highlighted how much Weiss had missed out on - how many of these fleeting moments she'd lost the chance to treasure. At the time, it felt like they had eternity together. It was only when that future was taken away that Weiss realized her mistake.

There were a thousand items on her to-do list for work. There were a million questions and concerns flying through her head from the events of yesterday. But, instead of giving any of those worries credence, she focused instead on the girl lying in front of her. Ruby's eyelashes, her lips, her ears, her adorable mess of disheveled brunette hair...Weiss wanted to soak in every microscopic detail and commit them all to memory.

Ruby had grown up to be quite beautiful, although she had no idea that was the case. Most of the time, it might be more appropriate to label her as 'cute,' but these moments of beauty appeared more and more often. It was almost as if her true character was starting to shine through - blinding them all with effortless benevolence.

Unaware of her actions, Weiss was steadily leaning forward - closer to Ruby's lips - but when Ruby suddenly stirred, Weiss realized how close she was and quickly moved away. Laying her head down on the pillow with her heart renewing its pounding, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep while Ruby continued to awaken.

A soft sigh preceded a warm breath blowing across Weiss' cheek, sending tingles down her spine. The next instant, Ruby jolted away in surprise - drawing her arm and leg back to herself as if she'd just been shocked. The sudden motion was the perfect opportunity for Weiss to slowly blink her eyes open - finding Ruby staring at her in both bewilderment and embarrassment.

"Uhh...good morning," Ruby stammered while a blush reddened her cheeks.

"Good morning," Weiss answered softly, smiling at the way some of Ruby's hair now stuck straight up in the back.

"Did...uh, did you sleep ok?"

Spending the night in a strange room usually meant that the answer was 'no,' but as Weiss took stock of her fatigue, she was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case.

"Yes, actually. I was exhausted."

"Me too!"

There were few instances when one of Ruby's grins wouldn't make Weiss feel a hundred times better - and this time was no exception. As long as Ruby was smiling - as long as she was still happy about _something_ \- then their relationship couldn't be as horrible as Weiss feared.

The discomfort from yesterday still lingered, however, and when Ruby glanced away, she fiddled with her hands as if she didn't know what to do with them.

"Guess we should get up though," Ruby said, turning back to Weiss with inquiring silver eyes.

"I suppose so..."

If only they could lie here forever. So much needed to be said - so many questions needed answered - but life beckoned them away once again.

Ruby seemed to be equally hesitant to leave, but eventually she rolled out of bed and Weiss reluctantly followed. It was only when Ruby stretched her hands high above her head that Weiss realized they'd fallen asleep in the same outfits they'd been wearing yesterday. Noticing at the same moment, Ruby tugged at the hem of her skirt and looked over her shoulder with a sheepish grin.

"You wanna borrow some clothes?"

"Oh, no, I'll be fine -" Weiss tried to deflect, but Ruby was hearing none of it. In fact, she was already digging through her closet and drawers in search of clean clothing.

"Don't worry about it! Plus, I wanna change too. You can bring them back whenever or keep 'em; I don't mind."

After pulling out a shirt and pair of sweatpants, Ruby pressed them into Weiss' hands with a smile. Weiss, however, looked down at them and felt her brow furrow.

"I know they're not your style," Ruby quickly added. "But I'm sure you'll look great anyway!"

The casual compliment made them both blush in unison while Weiss accepted the clothes with a soft "Thank you…"

Changing into clean clothes would be much more comfortable than wearing her combat gear, so she might as well…

"You can use the bathroom first. Oh! And I have an extra toothbrush you can use!" Dashing into the bathroom, Ruby reappeared seconds later with a brand new toothbrush in hand. "And you can use any of my stuff - what's mine is yours!"

The phrase made Weiss' heart jump in surprise.

"That's -" she began to reply, wishing to explain that that wasn't _exactly_ how the phrase was supposed to work. But Ruby looked so pleased about being able to offer something to Weiss that she thought better of it.

"That's very kind of you," she said instead.

Accepting the toothbrush, she walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and let out a long sigh before going about pulling herself together. After using Ruby's soap and splashing water on her face to freshen up, she opened the toothbrush to brush her teeth. It was generous of Ruby to offer a brand new toothbrush, especially considering how strangely attached to them she could get...

Allowing Weiss to borrow a change of clothes was also quite thoughtful. And the outfit Ruby selected was remarkably comfortable, which was to be expected. The pants were a bit long and the shirt a bit loose, but they smelled like Ruby - and that alone was worth the lack of a well-coordinated and perfectly-sized outfit.

Walking out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Weiss found Ruby staring off into space while a clump of clothes sat on her lap. Quickly noticing Weiss, she jumped up and smiled.

"I'll be back in a sec!" she quipped before flying past, the door to the bathroom closing behind her.

Was it Weiss' imagination or was something different?

Well, clearly a great deal had changed since yesterday morning, but it felt like _something_ lingered in the air between them. Was it the effect of words left unsaid? Or something else entirely?

If only they could go back to the day before yesterday…

That day was gone though. There was no point grasping onto how it had once been; they needed to move forward and forge a new relationship together...whatever that might look like. For better or worse, radical change had been thrust upon their lives, and now they needed to find a way through it.

From Ruby's questions and reactions last night, she was far more open-minded and understanding than Weiss had expected. Under similar circumstances, she imagined she would be a stubborn mess and nearly impossible to deal with.

But that wasn't the case with Ruby. She wasn't stubborn at all. And, for someone who'd been through a tremendous amount of trials over the past year, she wasn't a mess. Instead, she was incredibly open-minded...and if she was willing to be open-minded, then Weiss was willing to explain herself. Or, at least, make her best attempt at explaining herself.

A few minutes later, Ruby bounced back into the room in her own set of what Weiss could only consider to be 'loungewear.' Of course with Ruby's long legs and arms, the outfit just made her look athletic and attractive.

"Ready! Are you ready?"

Again, the cheerful attitude didn't feel quite right. It could be Weiss overanalyzing the situation and projecting her unease onto Ruby, but…

"Ruby…" she began to ask, but when silver eyes landed upon her, the question flitted away.

Did she want to pull at that thread right now? Ruby knew the truth, at least a part of it, and she was happy. Not only was she still happy, but she wasn't mad at Weiss. Wasn't that more than enough? Wasn't this actually the best case scenario? She'd been prepared for Ruby to demand a legitimate reason for her absence - or for Ruby to tell her to leave - or for Ruby to say a whole slew of things that Weiss rightfully deserved to hear.

Couldn't she be happy with this new normal...at least for a little while?

"Lead the way," she finished with a smile of her own.

Following Ruby out of the room, the sound of voices immediately met Weiss' ears. Blake and Yang must already be awake and in the kitchen talking - wonderful. There was no turning back now though...Weiss would have to go through the kitchen if she was ever going to leave...

"Hey Ruby!" Yang called out before her eyes landed upon Weiss. The instant Weiss' borrowed outfit registered, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open.

"Weiss? You're still here? And you - did you two -?"

Weiss vehemently shook her head behind Ruby's back, but stopped and smiled innocently when Ruby turned and looked at her. Thankfully, Yang stopped talking. _Sometimes_ she could take a hint.

"Did you two what?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Did you two want pancakes?" Yang asked with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, rocketing out of her seat like it had suddenly caught fire.

"Oh no -" Weiss began to decline, but Yang was already shaking her head at the reply.

"Don't say you have to leave, Weiss, because I _know_ you have time for some pancakes."

With her graceful exit dashed, Weiss smiled politely, nodded her head, and braced herself for the inevitable - Yang was going to make this as mortally embarrassing as possible.

"Would you like any help?" Weiss offered, but Yang shook her head while pulling out ingredients and bowls from the cupboards. Resigned to her fate, Weiss took a seat at the table and prepared herself for the incoming questions.

"So...what did you two do last night?" Blake asked, not seeming _too_ interested in the answer while casually stirring a spoon around her steaming cup of tea.

Maybe Blake didn't seem very interested in the question she'd just asked, but Weiss didn't miss the grin on Yang's lips while the blonde whizzed around the kitchen. After years of practice, the two girls were well rehearsed in obtaining the information they wanted to know. Without drawing any suspicion, Blake would pry the details from Ruby while Yang pretended she was too busy to listen.

Ruby fell for it every time.

"We talked," Ruby replied while plopping into the seat beside Weiss. "She told me about...uh, well, my 'accident.'"

The lighthearted mood in the kitchen evaporated as Yang and Blake glanced at Weiss in shock before pushing their full attention to Ruby.

"How do you feel about that?" Blake asked while Yang waited intently for an answer, no longer pretending not to be listening. From their responses, this was a huge deal - but Ruby merely shrugged, not seeming at all impacted by the information in one way or another.

"Now I know not to get myself caught by a Death Stalker and flung into a rock!"

When Ruby beamed, Blake and Yang visibly relaxed. Yang even chuckled from the stove while turning her attention back to breakfast.

"It worries me that you _didn't_ know that before," she joked while preparing the pan for batter.

The entire interaction had been nothing more than a few seconds, but Weiss had just witnessed how careful they'd been in making sure Ruby was ready to absorb new information without causing undue stress. They'd looked out for her wellbeing this entire time...physical _and_ mental wellbeing.

If that was the case, and Yang had been the one to suggest it was time to tell Ruby the truth, then Ruby must have been ready to hear it. Maybe not prepared, but at least emotionally ready to handle and process the information.

The realization was a tiny bit of relief in a sea of uncertainty.

Unknowingly staring while lost in thought, Weiss felt her heart flutter in surprise when Ruby caught her eyes and grinned. Something had definitely changed between them, but she couldn't tell what it was just yet...

"So you guys just talked?" Blake asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her tea before smiling at Ruby. "And then went to sleep, I'm guessing."

"Yup! Weiss passed out and then I did too!"

It wasn't exactly the juicy story Yang must've been hoping for, but, from the size of the grin on her face, she wasn't at all disappointed.

"Order up!" she suddenly called out before flipping a fully cooked pancake indiscriminately over her head. Before Weiss even had the chance to track to object, Ruby used her semblance to catch the flying saucer on the other side of the table before it hit the ground. The next three quickly followed and landed in a haphazard stack on Ruby's plate.

Pleased with her success in pancake catching, Ruby beamed at Weiss before heading back to the table.

"Want some?" she offered while slipping back into her seat.

"You go ahead and eat first. You're probably hungrier than I am."

Making a noise of content, Ruby set about preparing her food for consumption - first cutting them into bite-size pieces with quick but straight lines, then pulling the syrup bottle over to her. It was with a mixture of both amusement and horror that Weiss watched Ruby drench the pancakes in an unhealthy amount of syrup.

"Do you need a straw for that?" Weiss teased, nodding towards pancakes that were practically floating in a moat of sticky sugar.

"I'm not allowed to drink syrup anymore!" Ruby remarked - a little too proudly - before stuffing an entire stack of pancake pieces into her mouth.

"House rules," Yang commented, taking an empty plate from beside Blake and sneaking a kiss on her cheek before heading back to the stove. "We're also not allowed to use our weapons to cut up produce -"

"Or our semblances in games of tag!" Ruby piped in.

"Or other people's clothes to 'blackout' a room," Blake added dryly, sending Yang a knowing look.

"Heh, uh yeah. Lots of rules around here. Incoming!"

When Blake calmly nudged her plate forward, the stray pancake landed directly in the center.

"So how do you feel?" Blake directed to Ruby, undisturbed by the flying breakfast food. "I'd say after yesterday, you've officially made it back."

"'Back?'" Yang repeated from the stove. "She's more than back! She kicked so much butt yesterday the Grimm are already surrendering themselves at the wall! Just walkin' themselves in so they're spared a painful visit."

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes _huh_ ," Yang refuted before sticking her tongue out at her sister. "I saw 'em! Plus, Ozpin was practically begging you to get back out there. 'We need you. Vale needs you. _Remnant_ needs you.'"

It was a pretty poor Professor Ozpin impression, but Yang chuckled anyway.

"He only asked if I'd be going on more hunts!" Ruby whined.

"Yeah, but he normally doesn't ask for things," Yang pointed out before going back to her task. "You're special!"

"Are you ready to go on another hunt?" Blake asked, seamlessly ending the sisters' playful bickering.

The prospect of Ruby going on another hunt paused Weiss' heartbeat, but Ruby nodded regardless.

"I guess so! Whenever though. Not really in a hurry."

The response - which even Weiss would admit was uncharacteristic - made Blake raise her brow in surprise.

"'Not in a hurry?'" she repeated, her eyes sliding from Ruby to Weiss and back again. "So what did you think of Beacon? Did you like it?"

"It's super cool! The buildings are awesome and the arena is like, woah, amazing. I could probably live in there! If they'd let me - think they'd let me? I could totally live off those corn dogs -"

Ruby hadn't noticed, but Blake's unexpected change in subject caught Weiss' interest immediately. What had Blake just uncovered? It was true that Ruby was in a hurry for pretty much everything, so the sudden patience was unusual, but not rushing out on another hunt made logical sense -

For Weiss.

Not rushing out on another hunt made logical sense - for Weiss.

Glancing at Ruby while she swooned over the technology that created the arena battles, Weiss couldn't help but wonder if it was the story from last night that caused Ruby hesitation. Was it for her own sake? Was she nervous about going into the forest after learning what happened to her? Or was it concern for Weiss that was suddenly slowing progress?

As much as she'd like to believe it wasn't her own failings that were now holding Ruby back, Weiss knew that Ruby was still fearless. Hearing about the battle with the Death Stalkers wouldn't be enough to sway her from going into the forest again. If anything, it would encourage her to find some Death Stalkers and test her new skills against them.

So Ruby was concerned...for Weiss' well being. If this was a side effect of their conversation last night, Weiss would gladly accept it. She'd been so worried that Ruby would push her away that even the implication behind this concern was a welcome development.

"Weiss, are ya still eating like a little bird?"

Turning away from Ruby, Weiss pursed her lips.

"If you're asking whether I still follow appropriate diet and portion control, then yes."

Laughing, Yang turned away from the stove holding a plate piled with _way_ too many pancakes.

"Then this should be enough, yeah?"

"It would take me about a month to eat all those," Weiss commented while Ruby grabbed a stack of five pancakes off the top and added them to her syrup pool. She then grabbed another pile of five and carefully set them on Weiss' plate in a nice, even stack.

"Uh, thank you…" Weiss said, watching Ruby pick up her utensils to start eating again.

That had been an unexpectedly...nurturing...gesture. Even Ruby seemed to be surprised by it, blushing and focusing her full attention down on her plate while cutting up her new pancakes.

After watching Ruby a moment longer, Weiss picked up her fork and knife to cut her food into appropriately-sized pieces.

"Thank you for breakfast, Yang," she added before pouring a miniscule amount of syrup to her plate.

"No problem!" After arranging her own stack of pancakes, Yang winced when she reached across the table for the butter. "Man, do the rest of you feel like your muscles are rebelling?"

"I feel fine!" Ruby quipped before shoving another big bite in her mouth.

"Of course you do. You're basically a rubber band - doesn't take you long to snap back."

Giggling at the play on words, Ruby raised a fist and bumped it into Yang's.

"I feel fine too," Blake added before pointing her fork at Yang. "I think you strained yourself on that King Taijitu though."

"Oh, you're right! I remember tweaking something when that damn white head snapped me around so quick. Think I could score a massage later?"

When Yang fluttered her eyelashes, Blake rolled her eyes and turned away.

"If you're lucky."

"I'm _always_ -"

"If you _behave_ ," Blake corrected, catching Yang mid-sentence and making her snap her mouth shut while a grin appeared. After wiggling her eyebrows, Yang went back to eating without a single word of complaint.

If only Blake could teach other people how to silence Yang so effectively...the rest of the world surely needed that skill.

Covertly testing her own muscles, Weiss found that she was aching a bit this morning, but not in a horrible way. Besides the vague soreness and abundant mental turmoil, she felt...wonderful, actually. For the first time in forever, it felt like she was well-rested and her mind seemed...lighter. Telling Ruby about the past, even only one small piece of it, had removed a huge weight from her chest. The fact that Ruby hadn't drawn away or been upset made everything seem much more manageable.

Sure, differences in their behaviors were already announcing themselves, but Weiss was now confident that they could maintain a relationship in _some_ form. Whether that be merely friends or...well, she was no longer convinced that Ruby would hate her.

As she lifted another bite of food to her mouth, a tremble ran through her hands - a wave of overstimulated nerves that wouldn't die away. She wasn't scared or nervous, but very, very much alive.

"I can't believe CFVY beat us by like three seconds," Yang lamented after Blake's spell wore off. "Damn Velvet and her box of tricks."

"But we'll be better next year!" Ruby replied, making Weiss' heart thump in surprise while Ruby turned towards Yang. Grinning, Yang nodded in return.

"For sure! We'll be way faster next time!"

Next time? Next year? They wanted to go back and compete again?

Staring at her plate, a surge of emotion swelled in Weiss' chest when she understood that her presence yesterday hadn't ruined anyone's experience. Even with her...difficulties...they'd enjoyed themselves - enough that they wanted to do it again.

Curling her right hand into a loose fist, she felt pinpricks of tears behind her eyes.

What had she ever done to deserve such accepting teammates? And Ruby...what had Weiss ever done to deserve a partner like Ruby?

"Weiss!"

Reaching over, Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand to gain her attention. It worked - Weiss' eyes snapped up in a heartbeat - but the action also drew Yang's eyes, dashing back and forth between them. And Blake now looked particularly smug, taking another sip of tea to hide a hint of a smile.

Dropping Weiss' hand like it was on fire, Ruby blushed and used her fork to draw swirls in the syrup on her plate.

"I was just wondering how you like them?" she asked before pointing her fork towards Weiss' mostly full plate.

"Oh." Looking down at the pancakes she'd hardly touched, she put on a small smile that would hopefully satisfy Ruby's question. "They're wonderful. The best pancakes I've ever had."

"I can show you something else that'll be the best you've ever had," Yang drawled before cringing at the unamused look Blake shot her. "I mean, glad you still like 'em! Or like them. Dammit."

While Yang covered her eyes and shook her head, Ruby looked between her and Weiss several times.

"Yang's made them for you before, hasn't she?" Ruby finally asked after solving the invisible puzzle.

"Uh, yeah, kinda…"

"Yes, once or twice…"

Nodding at their answers, Ruby didn't say anything else while setting her fork across her empty plate. The subject left a weird silence at the table - which Yang quickly solved by clapping her hands together and pushing herself to her feet.

"Ok! Blake and Ruby on dishes! Weiss and I on putting stuff away."

Willingly abandoning her partially-eaten breakfast and standing to help, Weiss had hardly taken one step away from the table before Yang wrapped both arms around her and lifted her feet off the ground in a tight hug.

"You move fast, don't ya tiger?" Yang whispered into Weiss' ear before releasing her and rustling her hair. Bristling, Weiss straightened her hair while her cheeks flushed.

"Nothing...like _that_...happened," she hissed at Yang, who only winked in return. The wink made Weiss huff with indignation. "We aren't all animals."

"I heard that," Blake piped up from across the room - the response causing Ruby to look Weiss' way in curiosity. As soon as they locked eyes, she gave a goofy smile and adorable little wave that only deepened Weiss' blush.

A soft gasp drew her attention back to Yang.

"You're in that phase again!" Yang whispered, taking the syrup container and butter when Weiss handed the items over. "That 'will they, won't they' part!"

Weiss looked back at Ruby, who was laughing at something Blake had just said while washing the dishes.

"Do you really think so?"

It was foolish to get her hopes up so soon, but Weiss wanted to believe that Yang was an impartial third party observer. Or not at all impartial, but at least a third party observer.

"Totally! Oh! Please tell me you're gonna ask my permission to ask her out again."

"What?" Weiss whispered back, giving Yang a look. "I never asked for your permission the first time. Ruby asked _me_ out, remember?"

Briefly miffed, realization quickly dawned in Yang's eyes. "Oh, right, right. You asked if you could marry her. Same deal! Are ya?"

"Yang, there's still _so_ much to go through. I don't even know how she feels about me as her partner yet, let alone...anything else."

Yang waved her hand as if those were merely trivial matters that needed to be dealt with.

"You know she'll be fine with it eventually. I can't wait though. 'Pleaseee Yang. Pleaseee let me marry her. I'll do anything!'"

"I did _not_ ask like that," Weiss scoffed at Yang's praying hands and begging eyes.

"Close enough."

Turning back to Ruby, Weiss sighed. If only it were that simple. But first, they needed to find a way through this...whatever this was.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I can talk to her and see where she's at," Yang offered more seriously, patting Weiss' shoulder reassuringly.

This was the other side of Yang - the one that wanted to take care of everyone. It was always there, but most of the time it was buried under her desire to crack jokes and tease.

"Thank you…" Weiss muttered before turning towards Ruby, who walked over to them while wiping her wet hands on the front of her sweats.

"Hey!" she said with a grin.

"Hey."

There wasn't a follow up to the greeting. Instead, the two of them stood there looking at each other and waiting for the other to speak. Weiss could feel Yang looking between them while waiting for whatever was coming next, but there seemed to be nothing else they had to say at the moment.

"Oh!" Yang exclaimed, making both of them jump in surprise. "Blake needs me, I'm sure. Gotta go."

As Yang ducked out of their space to find Blake, Weiss turned back to Ruby.

"So…" Letting the word trail off to nothing, Ruby made a tiny gesture with her hands as if asking for something to talk about. Ruby was ordinarily a person of many, _many_ words, so for her to have nothing to say…

Hopefully, Ruby only needed time to digest everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. That was time Weiss was willing to give - and not solely because some time apart would allow her to sort through her scattered brain as well.

"So...I should probably get going," Weiss decided, pulling her scroll from the bag she'd left in the entryway and pressing the button that would summon a cab to her location.

"Oh…" for an instant Ruby looked disappointed by the words. "Are you sure? I mean, you could always hang around."

"I should probably head home and shower. Plus, I have a mountain of work to catch up on." The last reason - which was legitimate - eased the worry from Ruby's expression. "I'll just grab my things first?" Weiss asked, pointing towards Ruby's room.

"I'll get those for you!"

Before Weiss could protest, Ruby disappeared and reappeared with Weiss' discarded combat attire in hand.

"Thank you," Weiss replied, taking her carefully-folded clothes from Ruby's hands. Picking up Myrtenaster from the front hall, she then stepped through the front door Ruby had already opened for her.

The weather was pleasant today - sunny and warm, but not overly hot. Pausing in the sunshine, Weiss turned to say goodbye, only to watch Ruby shift nervously on the stoop instead.

"Is everything alright?" Weiss asked, worried about the underlying cause of Ruby's emotion but needing to know anyway.

"Uh, yeah, but…" Closing her mouth, Ruby wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"But…?" Weiss pressed, even though she had no business seeking out new questions at the moment.

"But...like, you know how you said we were friends at Beacon?" Ruby managed to ask.

Nodding at the innocuous question, Weiss gave Ruby a small smile.

"Yes. Yes, we were."

"Really good friends, you said."

"Best friends," Weiss corrected gently as her heart began to beat quickly. What had initially sounded like a harmless question was heading _somewhere_ \- made all the more evident by the thoughtful expression on Ruby's face. After nodding several times, there was obviously something Ruby wanted to ask.

"Is there something else you'd like to know?" Weiss finally pushed, even though part of her wanted to run from the conversation and hide in the cab that had just arrived for her. But another part wanted to stay and circle this drain of memories with Ruby forever.

Sucking in a deep breath, Ruby finally asked, "Nothing more than that?"

Momentarily freezing, Weiss felt her jaw fall slightly open and stay that way while she internally panicked.

Was Ruby asking what Weiss thought she was asking? But how could she even know to ask that? More importantly, could Weiss answer that question right now?

Had they been more than friends? Yes. Absolutely.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to?" she hedged before clearing her throat and averting her gaze. The words weren't truthful. She knew precisely what Ruby was asking, but how could this question have even popped into Ruby's mind?

"Oh, uh, it's nothing. Just a weird feeling," Ruby sputtered before shaking her head and throwing on a hopeful smile. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course - if you'd like to."

"Course I do! Uh, but thanks for...hanging out."

With a parting grin, Ruby stepped back into the house and shut the door - wiping the small smile off of Weiss' lips in the process.

How could she be such an idiot? Why was she still trying to hide from the past?

While Weiss raced down the walkway, Yang's words from last night lingered in her mind - 'Thanks for being there for Ruby. I'm so glad you're back.'

Yes, she'd been there for Ruby for all of a hot second before making a complete mess of everything again.

 _Coward, coward, coward_ , she berated herself while flying into the waiting cab and pulling the door shut behind her. Why couldn't she tell Ruby the truth? Why had she lied? They were best friends, but so much more. Why couldn't she be honest about their history?

She hoped Ruby hadn't caught the clear avoidance of the question. If she had...then Weiss had explaining to do...again.

"Heading home, Miss?" the driver asked, directing the vehicle towards the main roads that led to Winter's home.

"Yes. It's been quite the day already," she replied, quickly checking the address on his screen to make sure they were heading the right way.

Satisfied that the address was correct, she sunk into her seat and stared out the window - giving the man as many clear hints as possible that she wasn't in the mood for friendly banter at the moment. She didn't need to talk about the weather or what sports team just won some silly game - she needed to straighten out her thoughts.

Based on her recent actions, a part of her must still cling to the hope that nothing would change - that she and Ruby could hold onto what they'd just had. That, even after learning that they'd been partners, Ruby would treat Weiss the same.

It was a foolish hope. What was it about her feelings for Ruby that made her lose sight of reality? Things could never be the same - although whether this was for better or for worse was really up to Ruby.

And Weiss. It was up to her to be honest and find the courage to acknowledge and embrace the past - even though it was gone. Didn't Ruby deserve that honesty? From Weiss' most recent actions, evidently she didn't believe so.

One step at a time. First, she would go home and decompress from the events of the past twenty-four hours. Then she would figure out what to do next.

But where would their relationship go from here? It seemed like the figurative 'ball' was in Ruby's court, which meant there was nothing Weiss could do at the moment. A great deal of information had come to light in the past day - now it was up to Ruby to sort through it and figure out what she wanted to know next.

But 'weird' feelings? What did that mean? Had Weiss given something away? Yesterday was a mess of words and emotions - it was entirely possible some aspect of buried feelings had resurfaced. And then there was the way they'd woken up this morning...

Leaning her head back on the headrest, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her brain.

It had taken every bit of willpower she possessed to cement herself to the bleachers in Beacon's arena after their battle ended. There were several moments when she almost gave up and ran out of there, but she managed to stay. Somehow in the past year, she'd learned that - as unsettled as it felt to sit next to Ruby and have no idea if she would be accepted - temporary uncertainty was far better than never knowing at all.

Sitting through rocky waters was difficult. The idea of jumping out of the boat and swimming back to land seemed so much easier.

A quiet cab ride later, the security gates of her temporary home slid into view. As they approached the gate, Weiss rolled down her window and waved one hand to the guard. Waving back, he opened the gate so the cab could pull through and drop her off at the front door. After paying the driver, she headed inside and locked the door behind her.

The house was still too large to ever be truly comfortable, but its starkness had ebbed some while she'd been here. A multitude of things had grown more tolerable since she'd been here...

The sound of her scroll echoing loudly through the sparse foyer snapped her out of her thoughts. Pulling the device from her bag and seeing the familiar face on the screen, she quickly answered.

"Hello, Winter."

"Hello, Weiss. I hope I haven't caught you at a poor time?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at her sister's incessant formalities.

"Now is as good a time as any. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The question was mocking in tone, but Winter allowed the minor transgression to slide - this time.

"This morning, I was fortunate enough to be informed that your former team competed in The Beacon Invite - and that someone who looked suspiciously like you was with them."

Well, word had certainly traveled fast.

"Yes, that was me," Weiss replied to the unspoken question.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd be competing? I would have rearranged my schedule to watch."

"It was a last minute decision," Weiss answered while dropping her bag on the entryway table and resting Myrtenaster by the door - to be stowed away later. "I wasn't even sure that I'd be participating until the day of."

"Ah…" Winter replied, the silence implying that she found nothing to disbelieve in the honest response. "Well, I was able to watch the replay. Those two still know how to put on a show. And Ruby looked incredible."

"She really did…" Weiss commented longingly as her mind drifted back to The Invite.

Yang had showmanship and an abundant amount of skill, but Ruby was a bundle of pure talent. Without trying to show off, Ruby was impressive. She didn't need the flashy moves or plumes of flame - she simply dealt massive amounts of damage in impossibly short seconds. Any congratulations for their success yesterday should go to Ruby alone - the rest of them had only played supporting roles. The real star was Ruby, as it was supposed to be.

"And you didn't look too bad yourself. Your form is a little rusty and your stamina lower than I would expect, but you were quite successful regardless."

"Thank you, Winter," Weiss replied with another roll of her eyes.

Her sister was prone to providing unsolicited critiques of her fighting capabilities. It wasn't unwelcome criticism though - Winter had no intention to belittle, but was trying to help. In this case, however, she provided assessments Weiss was already keenly aware of.

"Will she be taking hunts again?"

Another sigh slipped past Weiss' lips. That was the question of the day, wasn't it?

"Eventually."

"Will you be alright with that?"

Weiss heard the concern growing in Winter's tone as the question was posed. Her sister must be imagining an inevitable relapse into trauma when Ruby ventured back out into the forest, but...it felt like those moments of instability had been a long time ago.

"I'll have to be," Weiss answered calmly. And, as she said the words, tranquility budded in her heart. A small part of her had already accepted that Ruby would be a huntress again - she was too good not to be.

"And you'll join her?"

As expected, Winter's concern seamlessly rotated from Weiss' mental to physical well being.

"If she wants me. And don't worry yourself, I'll train full time if that's going to be the case. I won't commit to anything I'm not fully prepared for."

"Good," Winter said succinctly - the worried tone gone. "If I visit Vale soon, will I be able to see you?"

"Yes. Of course."

"'Of course?' Where are the complaints about how I'm 'overbearing' or my presence is 'unnecessary?' What happened to my surly younger sister who never wants me around?"

Unfortunately, Weiss knew precisely what Winter was referring to. The past year, she hadn't exactly been the most...welcoming...of her sister's presence. Winter had only been trying to help, but Weiss did everything possible to avoid the past - and that meant refusing to acknowledge that she was hurt too.

Now was as good enough time as any to start making amends for her negligent behavior.

"I'm sorry for my...surliness. I enjoy your company, Winter. I really do."

"If you could sign a statement to that effect, I'll frame it and hang it in my office," Winter teased, succeeding in making Weiss smile. "But it's settled then - I'm coming to see you. First, allow me a couple days to clear my schedule. And please make sure Ruby's around. I'd like to spend some time with her now that she's back on her feet."

The last comment made Weiss' smile grow as the tranquility in her chest morphed into something resembling happiness.

Winter and Ruby had initially taken to each other like two peas from different species of plants, but it took no time at all for Ruby's zealousness to overrun Winter's desire for calm, collected behavior. Ruby was the only person Weiss had ever seen crack Winter's ceaselessly formal aura. And their relationship solidified into 'the most unlikely of friends' the instant Ruby's eyes had fallen upon Winter's weapon.

"I'll try to make sure she's free."

"Lovely. Then I'll see you soon. Please take care of yourself."

"You too, Winter."

Hanging up the call, Weiss looked at the screen while her sister's picture faded away.

There was _something_ about Ruby and Yang that weaseled into a Schnee's heart in one way or the other. How else could it be explained that both Weiss and Winter - who'd established an unenviable ability to freeze people out - completely thawed when it came to the two girls?

Noticing that there were no new messages on her scroll, Weiss dropped her hand to her side and sighed. Usually Ruby would have texted _something_ by now, even if it was nothing more than a silly joke or musing on some random topic. Things felt relatively normal at breakfast, but now…

They hadn't even made concrete plans to see each other again - everything was left up in the air. If she didn't hear from Ruby soon, Weiss would have to show up unannounced armed with some excuse...just like she'd done when she'd first returned to Vale. Funny how life had come full circle in such a short time...

Regardless of what happened next, Weiss was in dire need of a shower. Although she had half a mind to change back into Ruby's clothes afterward so that she could carry the scent of roses with her for as much of the day as possible.

Walking upstairs to her temporary bedroom with her silent scroll clutched in one hand, she used the thumb of her free hand to feel the cool metal band around her finger.

'Believe,' it said. Believe in herself. Believe that she was strong and capable of anything - because that's what Ruby had always believed.

Pausing in the middle of the hall, Weiss lifted her hand and looked at the silver band with intricate lines of thorns curling across the surface. As her eyes followed the pattern endlessly around the ring, she made a promise to herself.

From here on out, she would be honest with Ruby about everything. There was no going back. She needed to embrace the fact that their past was gone, but that didn't mean she had to forget about it entirely. She could still miss the way things had once been and she could still mourn what they'd lost, but not at the expense of the present. She needed to move forward with what was here and now.

Whatever that may be, she was feeling more confident that she could handle it. If not for her own sake, then for Ruby's.


	36. Chapter 36

**Big thank you to Nagasawa for the story cover art! You can follow them for more great art - nagasawarwby on tumblr.**

* * *

As soon as the door closed, Ruby blew a loud breath through her lips - the kind that made a silly noise.

This morning had been a whirlwind of pancakes and feelings. Sorting through everything was pretty much impossible, so why was she even trying?

Because _she wanted to know_ _how close she and Weiss had been!_ Was that really so hard to figure out? Well, when Weiss avoided the question or passed out before hearing it, it kind of was.

Tapping her foot on the ground in the empty entryway, Ruby decided that she needed some fresh air. Fresh was always best! Rushing to the back porch, she hopped onto the grass and looked up at the sky - catching a nice blinding view of the sun while she was at it. By now the moon was long gone, but the sun was still comforting in a lesser way. It was warm and felt nice on her skin. Kind of like how Weiss had felt this morning when Ruby woke up.

How was it that she couldn't remember _years_ of her life, but she could remember _that_ specific moment like it had been...well, it _had_ been just this morning. But she could remember it like it happened a few seconds ago!

And, because she remembered it so well, her cheeks grew really, really hot. Like surface of the sun hot. She and Weiss had been snuggled up together like...like intertwining vines, only much more comfortable. And warm. And pretty. A really, really pretty vine.

Maybe it wasn't a blush Ruby was feeling. Maybe it was actually a sunburn. Yeah, most likely a sunburn. She was bad at putting on sunscreen.

"Frig," she muttered, kicking her toe across the grass. There weren't any rocks around, unfortunately. Just soft blades of grass that didn't even have the courtesy to fly up into the air. That'd be pretty satisfying if they did, but nooo. They just bent under her foot but stayed in place.

"Double frig."

Hearing the door open and heavy steps cross the porch, she turned to find Yang walking out on the grass to join her.

"Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Practicing my active camouflage," Ruby replied before tapping at an invisible device on her wrist. "Apparently it's not working."

"Oh, it's working, I just happen to be wearing my camouflage-busting glasses! They're nice, yeah?" Grinning, Yang pretended to pull off a pair of glasses and extended them to Ruby, who accepted them curiously.

"I knew I shouldn't have given these to you…" she muttered after looking them over, breaking into a smile when Yang laughed.

"Maybe you can get them to find Blake too? I swear she gives me _at least_ one heart attack per day by appearing out of thin air."

"Sorry," Ruby said with a shake of her head. "No can do!"

"Why not?"

"She paid a higher price than you," Ruby answered before sticking out her tongue. Chuckling at the joke, Yang shook her head.

"Siding with the ninja, huh? I see how it is…it's not like I'm your _only_ sister or anything."

When Ruby giggled, Yang smiled and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"So how're you doing?" Yang asked in that big-sister voice she had. It was the one she used when she wanted to have an honest conversation - something Ruby was always willing to give.

Furrowing her brow, she tried to make sense of everything she was feeling. How was she doing? Her health was good - that's what she always thought of first. She'd put her training to the test yesterday and hadn't ended up back in the hospital, so that was a pretty big success! Then there was that whole partner thing...and, separate from that, the whole Weiss thing. Those were...well...still up in the air.

"I'm ok, I think," she answered as honestly as she could. "Confused, a little overwhelmed, but ok. I mean, things could be worse!"

"Yeah?" Yang asked while throwing a super slow motion punch at Ruby, who deflected it and stepped around just like Yang had taught her.

"Yeah! And I mean, there's gotta be a cap on how confused someone can get, right? Pretty sure I've already reached it!"

"Clearly you don't remember Professor Oobleck's 'ioto' math class…"

"There are benefits to memory loss," Ruby quipped, grabbing Yang's incoming fist in both of her own and spinning underneath her sister's arm. "I guess...I mean, I thought I was just getting to know her but surprise! We've been teammates for _years_! Oh!" Ruby's eyes widened as a thought flitted into her head. "Does that mean that I've...I've _changed_ in front of her before?"

After a brief second of confusion, Yang laughed.

"Ruby, we lived in the same dorm for years. We've all changed in front of each other hundreds of times."

A blush instantly appeared, and Ruby put both of her hands to her cheeks in horror.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you didn't tell me this!" she wailed before punching Yang in the shoulder.

"What? Ruby, we were trying to look out for you!" Yang protested, probably not even feeling the punch because of all her dumb muscles. Meanwhile, Ruby felt like she'd just slammed her knuckles into a very solid wall.

Yang's answer made her pout for a few seconds before sighing. It was kind of hard to be upset when people only had the best intentions at heart...

"I know you were, but like...imagine if you found out that you and Blake were related."

Yang immediately wrinkled her nose.

"Uh...I don't wanna do that…"

"Or like, what if I was Blake?"

"Nope." Waving her hands in front of her, Yang rapidly shook her head. "Nope nope nope. I get it, Ruby. It's awkward."

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Really awkward."

After staring off into the distance for a few seconds, Yang shuddered and turned back to Ruby.

"But _why_ is it awkward? Because you didn't know she was your partner? Or because you didn't know she was your partner, and you're crushing on her big time?"

Was that the problem? If Ruby didn't have all these _extra_ feelings for Weiss, would it be such a big deal?

"She's just so prettyyyyy," she whined. "Don't you think she's pretty? She looks amazing in _anything_."

Pausing, she took a second to remember how fantastic Weiss looked in Ruby's clothes. A part of her kind of hoped Weiss would keep them and never give them back - and maybe wear them another couple of times for Ruby to see.

"Don't you think she looked great this morning?" she mused, mostly to herself.

"Uh...how much trouble are you trying to get me in?" Yang asked, glancing towards the house. Quickly catching on, Ruby grinned.

"The prettiest girl you've _ever_ seen? Wow, Yang. What would Blake think if she heard that?"

Glaring, Yang reached out to try to grab Ruby by the arm, but she dashed out of the way.

"Jeez, maybe I should be worried about some competition!"

"Ok pipsqueak, come here," Yang growled before racing forward in an attempt to catch her. But Ruby giggled while hopping this way and that out of Yang's reach. Whenever Yang tried to grab her, Ruby would move _just barely_ out of the way. She was too nimble! And too fast! Wayyyyy too - whoop!

Squeaking when she toppled over Yang's foot and hit the ground, strong arms instantly latched onto her and lifted her into the air. The next second, she burst into uncontrollable giggles while Yang's fingers found the worst spots in between a set of ribs to tickle. And tickle. And tickle.

"Yanggg!" she squealed while kicking her feet in the air. "Yan-ggg! I'm sorry! I-I'm - lemme go!"

It was useless. Yang was way too strong for Ruby ever to break free - and it wasn't until Ruby could hardly breathe anymore that Yang intentionally loosened her grip. Immediately racing a safe distance away, Ruby promptly collapsed onto the grass to catch her breath.

"You...suck!" she huffed out while staring at a set of cute, fluffy clouds up above. Chuckling, Yang walked over and offered Ruby a hand.

"Truce?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby grumbled under her breath while accepting Yang's help up. "One of these days, it's gonna be _me_ doing the tickling! Then we'll see who's laughing!"

"Still me, most likely," Yang replied with a grin before her expression softened. "Listen, Ruby...I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Weiss…"

"Aw, Yang -"

"Hold on," Yang held up a hand and continued. "Let me explain first. When Weiss came back, I just...we just thought it'd be best if you didn't see her as our teammate who ran away. Give her a shot at a fresh start, ya know? All Blake's idea, of course - I wanted to throw her out on the street. Thankfully I didn't, but I'm still sorry we kept you in the dark for so long. I'm sure there were opportunities when we could've told you..."

"I'm not mad at you, Yang," Ruby replied, giving her sister a reassuring smile. "I know you did what you thought was best. But I'm glad you didn't throw her out!"

Looking incredibly relieved, Yang actually sighed before smiling once more.

"Me too...are you sure you're ok though? Or should we clamp the lid on the past again? No more new stories or anything?"

Opening her mouth to reply, Ruby found that her answer wasn't the same as it had been for such a long time.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I want to learn more."

Because of Weiss. If she wanted to know more about Weiss, she needed to delve further into her past - or _their_ past, technically. It went against everything she'd told herself for the past year. The past was the past. It didn't matter anymore. Oh, and the best one - forget about the past! Which, obviously, was funny because she _had_ -

The past didn't matter, for the most part, but there was the section of her lost memories that held Weiss - and it suddenly felt like a gaping hole had opened in Ruby's chest that craved to be filled with those memories.

"So you're ready then?" Yang asked. "For everything? The works? The ketchup _and_ mustard? Pickles _and_ tomato? Cheese _and_ onion?"

They'd _just_ eaten breakfast - how could Ruby already be this hungry?

Moving past how much she wanted a hamburger now, Ruby bit her lip and thought about what Yang was _actually_ asking (while subliminally selling fast food).

Was she ready to look into her past? Was she ready to hear all the stories that she couldn't remember? Or hear about events she had no clue had happened and felt no connection too?

Did it matter if she heard a few crazy stories? That wasn't going to be enough to affect her future.

"I think so," she answered with a nod. "I mean, I know who I am. I don't need to chase who I was. I can't be that Ruby again, but I think I can be a pretty good Ruby now!"

Completely at ease with the decision, she smiled at Yang and earned a big smile in return.

"You're awesome," Yang said, briefly clapping a hand on Ruby's shoulder before turning them both towards the house. "So if you have any questions, ask and we'll tell you, 'k? The past is officially open for the taking!"

"Ok! Oh, I do have one question though," Ruby said before they'd walked too far, landing back on the _one_ subject she couldn't seem to find an answer to. "At Beacon, were Weiss and I...friends?"

"That's an easy one. Of course you were friends! The two of you were practically attached at the hip."

It was weird because Yang _technically_ answered the question, but that wasn't the question Ruby was trying to ask. And Yang should've known that. If she hadn't caught on, then she was slower than Ruby thought!

Which was no joke - was it only Ruby who noticed how slow Yang walked in the mornings? Seriously, it was like her feet were strapped to the backs of ancient tortoises or something - like the ones at the zoo that never moved? Ruby could probably run an entire marathon in the time it took Yang to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen.

But Yang was usually super quick when it came to 'people' things...and the more people avoided answering the question, the more Ruby believed it was the right one to ask. Which meant that she would keep asking until someone gave her a dang answer. They didn't call her Ruby 'Never Gives Up' Rose for nothing!

No one actually called her that...

"But were we friends like how Blake and I are friends?" she pressed. "Or like how _you_ and Blake are friends?"

Freezing at the question, Yang dropped her arm and stared at Ruby for a long time.

"That...might be something you should ask Weiss."

"I did," Ruby sighed.

"And?"

"And she said we were friends."

"Then there you go!" Yang replied with a big smile that Ruby could tell was a bit uneasy. Yang liked to think she could fool people with her smiles, but Ruby had stopped falling for it a long time ago. Don't tell Yang that though! Sometimes Ruby still fell for it just to make Yang happy.

But apparently Yang was also a dead end in figuring out that part of the past...which was ironic because she _just_ said to ask _anything_! But this question was off limits for some reason...

 _Something_ was there, if only Ruby could find it. She'd find a way eventually. She always did!

"What now?" she asked when they hopped onto the back porch, the wood creaking under their feet.

It had been a while since she'd felt...lost. The past year was so easy! Actually, it was the exact opposite of easy, but it was easy in the way that she always knew what her goals were. Get better through training, training, and more training. Become a huntress. Rule the world! But after the events of yesterday, she didn't feel like she _had_ to train right now. Because maybe she was kind of good at this huntressing thing.

And maybe she was kind of bad at this relationshiping thing.

"Whatever you want to! It's any other day, really. Blake and I are gonna hang around the house. You could work on some weapons?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

Smiling, Yang reached out and tapped Ruby's shoulder.

"Cheer up, kiddo. Try not to think about it. You'll figure out an answer."

For a second, Ruby tried to figure out that statement - then she threw her hands in the air.

"What kind of advice is that? How will I find an answer if I don't think about it?"

"Uh, I dunno, maybe it'll hit you over the head or something."

Staring at her sister for a few seconds, she finally shook her head.

"Blake gives better advice than you," she teased.

"Hey! I give _awesome_ advice!" Yang protested while Ruby laughed. "Ok, want my advice, wise guy? I think you should just kiss her and see what happens."

That stopped Ruby's laughter instantly.

"What?!"

Now Yang was nodding like it was a brilliant idea. "Yeah, go bat those big silver eyes at her, then kiss her. If she's into it, throw in some tongue while you're at it!"

"Yang!" Ruby cried out, covering her ears and flashing into the house to get away from her sister, who was now laughing gleefully.

"I thought you wanted my advice!" Yang called after her.

"Not _that_ kind of advice!" Ruby shouted back outside before ducking into her room and closing the door. "Stupid Yang…" she mumbled to herself while looking around her room and feeling her cheeks reach atomic levels of heat.

Kiss Weiss?

What would that be like? It had to be about a million times better than a kiss on the cheek, right? Although that had been pretty dang awesome. Being so close to Weiss, in general, was awesome. Feeling her soft skin...

Nope. Ruby wasn't going to think about that right now. It made her feel all tingly.

What she _was_ going to think about was her bed - because it was unmade.

Pulling the covers into place, she blushed while remembering how she'd woken up that morning.

Weiss smelled so good. And she was warm. And somehow _super_ comfortable. Was it weird to think of a person as being comfortable?

Things were confusing right now, but Ruby still knew she liked Weiss - a lot. The only problem was this whole past thing. Stupid memories! Why couldn't they stay in place or come back so she could make sense of things?

What was ironic was that, over time, she'd learned to ignore her lost memories - she didn't even think about them on a daily basis. Now she couldn't _stop_ thinking about them. If there was a door set up in her mind that was blocking her from her past, she was pounding on it and asking very, _very_ nicely to get in. She wanted to knowwwww.

Maybe Yang was right. Maybe she should try not to think about it and hopefully an answer would hit her over the head. In the meantime, she would clean. Cleaning was a good distraction. Not that there was much to clean in her room, but she still tidied and organized it from top to bottom - being extra thorough to keep her mind off of anything else.

When her room was practically sparkling, she made herself a sandwich for lunch and headed into the garage to clean the workshop next. At least, that had been her intention. Instead, she started tinkering with a new little feature that could work with her weapons.

Did she say little? It wasn't. It was super ambitious! Ideally, she'd retrofit the fingertips of Thorn to house teeny, tiny Dust integrators that would interact with Crescent Rose. _Theoretically,_ she could use the integrators to infuse the blade with Dust-like qualities from Dust compartments housed near the bullet chambers.

Ambitious, maybe impossible, but that's what made it fun! And mentally exhausting. And it took a long time! She spent most of the afternoon working on Crescent Rose to see if she could even get the scythe to cooperate. It wouldn't, but given more time her weapon would eventually come around. Crescent Rose always saw reason in the end!

Oh, and Ruby needed to remember the drills for the bottoms of her boots! That would be another challenge to figure out, but, if she could do it right, it would be awesome.

By the time she'd mentally exhausted herself fiddling with Crescent Rose, no answer had done any hitting of her head area. And the day had wasted away. She hadn't gotten to spend any time with Weiss, which she'd wanted to do. Instead, she'd messed around, accomplished very little, and figured out even less. Another productive day at the Rose household!

The weirdest thing was that her scroll was silent all day long. There were a ton of times she wanted to send Weiss a message but didn't know what to say. Go with the 'everything is normal' approach and ignore all these new feelings that had sprung out of nowhere? Or don't bring up any conversation at all and avoid everything altogether?

But Weiss had mentioned needing to get work done, so Ruby didn't want to accidentally interrupt something important. Although...now that she thought about it, she didn't know what Weiss did for work. All she knew was that Weiss was super important!

Huh...maybe she didn't know that much about Weiss.

On the other hand, Ruby knew a ton about Weiss. Like that she was really generous. She was pretty and kind and super smart. She was a great fighter. She was super, duper amazing, and made Ruby feel special in a really unique way.

But she was Ruby's partner. There was so much she knew about Ruby that she probably didn't even know about herself.

Did that wipe away the time they'd spent together?

Why would it? Weiss was the one who let Ruby hold her hand. Made her excited and happy. Made her laugh and smile. Made her heart flutter like a million butterflies. All of those things - that was Weiss. That _is_ Weiss. Ruby's partner.

Maybe that label didn't matter as much as Ruby thought it would. All this time, she'd imagined her partner to be this shifty character who didn't like to be pinned down in one spot for long. Someone who _liked_ being alone - kind of like Blake only times a thousand.

But Weiss wasn't like that at all. She was very personable. Wasn't this better than the alternatives Ruby imagined? Her partner wasn't a loner - her partner was _awesome_. And how many times had Ruby already wished that Weiss could be her partner?

"Bleh," Ruby finally said, dropping everything onto the workbench and standing up to head into the house. She'd done so well blocking these thoughts out of her head for most of the day; now they were back with a vengeance.

With her head a swirly mess, she dragged herself into the house and collapsed onto the sofa next to Blake.

"Man...things were so much simpler yesterday…" she muttered to herself while reaching for the remote control. But Blake immediately shut her book and set it on the side table - a symbol that her full attention was now on Ruby.

"How are you dealing with this?"

"I'm so…" Forgetting the remote and leaning back into the cushions, she sighed. "It's confusing."

She knew that she liked Weiss - _like_ liked her. But now Weiss was her teammate. Was that type of thing even allowed? Well, obviously it was since Blake and Yang were together, but could Weiss ever see Ruby that way? Would she? _Had_ she?

"I just want to know how close we were…" Ruby mumbled, twirling the ring around her necklace while lost in thought. Yesterday, Weiss was the girl Ruby liked a lot. Today, Weiss was Ruby's partner. Who she happened to like a ton.

"Why don't you ask her?" Blake asked.

"I tried."

"And?"

"And I don't think she told the truth…"

Blake shook her head. "That doesn't surprise me. Why don't you ask again?"

"How? Message her?"

"No, go ask her."

Looking around the empty room, Ruby gave Blake a curious grin.

"But she's not here, Blake," Ruby teased, but Blake didn't seem at all bothered by Weiss' absence.

"Do you want to ask?" she asked instead. " Because I can take you to where she's staying."

"How do you know where she's staying?"

This entire time Ruby hadn't even thought about where Weiss might go when she left the house!

"It's my job to know," Blake answered with such a serious face, Ruby laughed.

"Is it really?"

Unphased by the laughter, Blake nodded.

"Yes. You specifically told me - 'Blake, it's your job to know these 'ninja things.'' So I make sure I know."

Unsure of how to respond to most of that, Ruby stared at Blake for a long time before finally shrugging. This was her opportunity to see Weiss again - did she really care about this 'ninja thing,' or did she want to see Weiss?

She would care about the ninja thing _later_. Like what did 'ninja things' include? Was it just knowing where people lived? Or was it like...knowing everyone's middle names? Their blood types? That'd be kind of creepy...she hoped Blake wasn't doing that!

"I guess it'd be cool to see where she's staying," Ruby answered. "Plus, she's always the one coming over here. And I'd kind of like to see her..."

"Perfect. I'll meet you outside in three minutes."

When Blake smoothly stood from the sofa and disappeared down the hall, Ruby chuckled to herself in surprise.

"Three minutes…" she mumbled while going to search for shoes. Blake was so precise!

Three minutes later, they were on their way - and Ruby was getting more and more nervous by the second. She hadn't thought this through! She had no idea what she wanted to say or do or _anything_. She'd been confused about everything and then Blake made this offer and she'd jumped on it before thinking about what was going to happen when they got to Weiss' house!

Of course, being nervous meant they arrived even faster - or maybe they hadn't been far away to begin with. Regardless, it wasn't long before they were cruising down a neighborhood street where the houses grew bigger and bigger with every block.

"There it is," Blake finally commented while nodding out Ruby's window. Leaning closer to the glass, Ruby found a large gate. Beyond that was a sprawling green lawn - the one with lines mown into the grass. And beyond _that_ \- visible at the end of a long driveway - was a mega-mansion lit up with lights.

"Wow."

There weren't any other words Ruby could think of when looking at the huge building.

"It's her sister's," Blake explained.

"How do you find out this stuff?" Ruby asked in awe, making Blake chuckle.

"There are several ways. Check property records, interview associates...it's impossible to stay anonymous these days."

"But if it's her sister's, how did you find out Weiss was here?"

"Well, you could either talk to people who know her, or you could just tail her."

"You followed Weiss?"

Not at all perturbed by the notion, Blake nodded. "Of course. We needed to know where she was staying in case she tried to run off again."

"Does Yang know about this?" Ruby asked, half teasing, half serious. Blake took the question seriously, nodding purposefully while pulling the car off the road and towards a guard house at the entrance to the property.

"Yang is aware, in some capacity, of everything I do. It's part of a promise I made her years ago."

As the vehicle slid to a stop, Blake rolled down the window to speak to the guard - who was already stepping out of his booth to greet them.

"Sorry ladies - no visitors allowed."

"I think you'll want to call Weiss and ask," Blake replied calmly before gesturing towards the passenger seat. "This is Ruby. I'm sure Weiss will want to see her."

The man's eyes widened at Ruby's name. "Wait right here," he said before rushing back into his little booth, while Ruby stared after him in surprise.

"How did you know he'd know my name?"

"Educated guess," Blake replied with a self-satisfied grin. "Weiss never could keep herself from talking about you."

The statement made Ruby feel warm and fuzzy inside as the guard ran back out to them. "Sorry about that - head on through!"

"Thank you," Blake replied before continuing up the long drive to the mansion.

Ruby's nerves multiplied when they stopped in front of the house, which was a visual reminder that Weiss was from an entirely different world than Ruby. This house was built for people who knew what a 'soirée' was, and who ate snails with pieces of gold. _Neither_ of those things fit Ruby - unless a soirée was another name for a nap and someone dared her to eat the golden snail.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Weiss stepped outside, looking remarkably small when framed against the ginormous entryway. She'd changed out of Ruby's clothes but still looked beautiful as could be.

Even though Ruby didn't fit into this world of giant houses, seeing Weiss made her heart soar. Maybe she didn't belong here, but she belonged with Weiss. Err...or something like that.

"Do you want me to wait?" Blake asked quietly.

Seeing Weiss caused confusion and swirling emotions to reappear in Ruby's brain. It was like someone got ahold of a box of paperclips and went out of their way to make sure they were a huge mess of connected wires.

This wouldn't be easy to sort through.

"Um...no that's ok. I'll call if you need to come back?"

When Blake nodded, Ruby took a deep breath and pushed the car door open.

"Good luck," she heard from behind her as she stood and closed the door. Raising one hand in a wave, Blake returned it before leaving Ruby standing there.

Taking a deep breath that only partially calmed her nerves, she turned and walked to Weiss - finding that each step bringing them closer was easier than the last. By the time Ruby stood in front of Weiss, she could hardly remember being nervous. She was just _happy_ that they were together again. Even if there was all this confusing stuff, there was _also_ all of this _good_ stuff that had happened between them.

"Hey!" Ruby said, a grin already appearing.

"Hello," Weiss replied with a small smile, clutching her hands together before gesturing towards the house. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure!"

Following Weiss inside, Ruby looked around the massive entryway in awe. It was _fancy._ All the marble and expensive paintings. And the huge chandelier...

"I'm sorry, if I'd known you were coming over, I would have tidied up…"

Weiss' words trailed off while Ruby looked around the spotless entryway, then giggled. There probably wasn't a single speck of dust to be found.

"This place looks amazing!"

"Winter will be happy to hear you like it," Weiss commented absentmindedly, her eyes sweeping the room - as if searching for anything out of place - before finally returning to Ruby.

Even though Weiss was silently wondering why Ruby was here, Ruby couldn't help but smile. She was here because she wanted answers, but also because she loved, loved, _loved_ spending time with Weiss.

"Was there something you needed from me...?" Weiss asked after several seconds of silence, the question breaking Ruby out of her pseudo spell.

"Not really. I just wanted to see you!" she answered, the words doing wonders in making Weiss relax. She even smiled and looked a little relieved for once!

"I'm glad you came over then."

"But aren't you wondering how I knew where you lived?" Ruby asked. She was excited to share Blake's special skill with someone else, but Weiss' brow furrowed at the question.

"Well...no. I imagine Blake followed me home weeks ago."

"You knew that?" Ruby asked in shock - not at all the answer she'd expected.

"I never knew _when_ , but yes. I suspected it would happen sooner rather than later."

Whaaaat? How did everyone else know this stuff and Ruby didn't?

Oh right...

"She said I made it her 'job' to know things like that," Ruby explained. That was the only thing she knew about the entire situation, but the comment made Weiss laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ruby asked curiously, drawing Weiss' gaze and, for a moment, it looked like she was trying to decide whether or not she should say more. "I'd like to know!" Ruby added for sincerity purposes.

And it worked! Weiss' uncertainty disappeared, and she nodded before speaking.

"You only said that to legitimize a craving she already had."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes while trying to figure out what that meant.

"Blake is curious; she always has been," Weiss explained patiently. "You've heard the phrase - curious as a…?"

"Cat!" Ruby answered before realization struck her. "Oh."

"Exactly," Weiss said with a nod. "Instead of seeing it as a potentially valuable trait, she saw it as something that made her...different. And when she was already the only Faunus on a team of humans, she didn't want to be any more 'different' than she already was. It made her feel guilty or ashamed whenever she was caught 'sneaking around,' so she hid it. She didn't want us to know she did it - like it was some dirty secret."

"Aww…"

It was sad to think that Blake would be ashamed of something like that because it was actually pretty cool!

"She was hiding herself from us...then one day you made it her job to know 'ninja things,'" Weiss continued with a growing smile. "Proclaimed it quite grandly, in fact. And, suddenly, the shame was gone."

In a brief pause, Weiss smiled proudly at Ruby.

"It was a brilliant solution. From that day forward, she told us whatever she found out. It was a virtual treasure trove of information - incredible, really. She knew almost everything about everyone. She's called it her 'job' ever since, and I don't think she's ever felt a drop of shame over following anyone - even her own teammates."

"Hey, that was pretty smart of past me!" Ruby joked. Chuckling, Weiss gave Ruby a warm smile.

"There was a reason you were named team leader," Weiss said fondly. "You understood how to get the best out of everyone."

"Then...how did I get the best out of you?" Ruby asked, watching Weiss' smile fall a fraction of an inch.

"You...gave me something I never thought would exist."

"What was it?" Ruby pressed when it became clear Weiss wasn't going to continue on her own. When she finally looked back at Ruby, it was with a small smile and eyes filled with emotion.

"The opportunity to be so much more than just a Schnee."

That answer didn't make a whole lot of sense to Ruby, but she smiled and slowly nodded anyway.

What was wrong with being a Schnee? If they were anything like Weiss, then they were awesome! And had fancy houses!

"But here, let me show you around," Weiss added before shaking her head and clearing her throat. "I mean, would you like a tour?"

"Absolutely!" No way was Ruby passing up the chance to see where Weiss lived.

"Well, there are eight bedrooms -" Weiss began, but Ruby's jaw immediately dropped in surprise.

" _Eight?_ "

"Yes."

"So you could sleep in a different one every day of the week!"

Weiss paused for a second before a quirky half grin appeared. It was a look Ruby instantly fell in love with. Or, uh, she liked it a whole lot...it was super adorable...

"Do your weeks have eight days?" Weiss teased.

"What? No - you know what I mean!" Ruby whined, and Weiss actually cracked a smile before waving for Ruby to follow her into the next room.

When they walked inside, the lights automatically clicked on - while the lights behind them clicked off. What a cool effect! Maybe Ruby could rig their lights to do the same thing...good luck to Blake sneaking around when the lights were on sensors!

"This is the downstairs living room -"

"Does that mean there's an _upstairs_ living room?"

Weiss nodded while leading them through the massive room filled with tables and plush chairs. At the other end was another door that she pushed open and held for Ruby.

"And we have a small library here -"

"'Small' meaning it contains every book I've ever read," Ruby joked while looking at the sheer size of the 'small' room stuffed from floor-to-ceiling with books. "Blake would _love_ this."

"I have no doubt," Weiss replied before walking back the way they'd come, accidentally brushing into Ruby's elbow before quickly moving away. "Through here is the kitchen and dining area."

The theme of this place was apparently 'huge,' because that's what everything was.

"Built for a king, apparently! Or a princess," Ruby commented, blushing when it sounded like she was calling Weiss a princess. But Weiss kind of _was_ a princess, wasn't she?

"Or built by a giant," Weiss added. It sounded like she was completely serious, but the slight tilt in her lips gave away the joke and Ruby laughed.

"Hey, better to have giants living here than ghosts!" she replied, her smile falling when Weiss' expression suddenly grew more serious.

"Well…" As the word trailed off, Weiss turned away.

"Wait. You don't _actually_ have ghosts living here, do you?" Ruby asked, scrambling after Weiss into the foyer. Weiss' response was to laugh and wave her hand while moving up the grand flight of steps.

"Ghosts aren't technically _living_ , are they? So I don't believe they could _live_ here…"

Chuckling nervously while following Weiss upstairs, Ruby couldn't decide if she was kind of scared or just amused. Was Weiss serious? It was hard to tell when she was turned away from Ruby, but it was a joke, right? It had to be a joke because ghosts weren't real - unless someone watched the movies Yang liked, in which case ghosts were real _and_ terrifying.

But it was a joke. Who knew that Weiss had a more whimsical side to her? Just another thing to lo - like a lot.

Wow, what was with that word today?

Thankfully, this felt much more relaxed than before - like the awkwardness had faded away. Or maybe Ruby just wasn't thinking about it as often. They were the same people as yesterday morning, right? Nothing had changed between them - except a lot had - but maybe it wasn't as big of a deal as she'd made it out to be.

"Door number one," Weiss remarked with a grin while nodding to a closed door on the upper level. "Why don't you head in first?"

Weiss was totally messing with her now. No way there was a ghost behind this door.

"Just so you know," Ruby said while reaching towards the doorknob. "If there _is_ a ghost living here, I'm going to scream and use you as a shield."

Struggling to maintain a straight face, Weiss nodded and gestured towards the room again.

Resigned to her fate, Ruby twisted the knob - slowly, so it wouldn't make any noise. Feeling Weiss' warm presence right behind her, she carefully pressed the door inward...revealing nothing but a dark room beyond. With her weak human eyes, she could barely make out the shape of a bed and what looked like a dresser and maybe another door that led to a closet or bathroom.

It was so dark! There was an outline of light from the doorway, but beyond that, the room was completely black. Where was the light switch? On the wall or something?

Taking a half step into the room with Weiss still right behind her, Ruby glanced towards the wall to find a switch, but her gaze stopped with a flicker of light caught her attention - nothing more than a slight glimmer near the bedroom window. Her eyes locked onto the spot while trying to find what she'd just seen.

A chill suddenly shot up her spine, and, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a ghostly white figure raced towards her. She turned just in time to see that _it didn't have a head and was reaching towards her throat!_

A high-pitched _something_ came from her throat as she backpedaled into the hall, tripping over Weiss' feet and sending them both toppling to the ground in the well-lit hallway - only one of them laughing hysterically.

Heart pounding, Ruby stared while a fully formed, but more human-sized, version of Weiss' soldier extended a hand to her. The darn thing had its head now - which made it infinitely less scary than it had been seconds ago.

Accepting the ghost-white hand and popping back to her feet, Ruby offered both her hands to help Weiss up while a massive blush grew.

"You got me there…" Ruby said with an embarrassed chuckle, running one hand through her hair before pressing it to her quickly beating heart. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'm fine. Even if I wasn't, that was completely worth it," Weiss replied with a grin - her eyes sparkling in unconcealed amusement. Clearly, she thought Ruby's reaction was funny and...Ruby would gladly give herself a mini heart attack hundreds of times over if it made Weiss so happy each time.

"Ok, but which one is yours?" Ruby asked, her cheeks still flaming red. "Now I'm too scared to check the others."

"Oh. Well, I've been staying in this one…" Weiss hesitantly said, walking down the hall and pushing open a door near them.

When Ruby narrowed her eyes in suspicion, Weiss smiled and walked in first. With the coast clear, Ruby bounced through the door right after. This was Weiss' room!

In keeping with the rest of the house, it was _big_. It seemed comfortable, but it didn't feel like anyone really _lived_ there. There wasn't a whole lot of stuff - not like Ruby's room, which was filled with all sorts of odds and ends. This room was mostly just furniture - like a chest of drawers with nothing scattered across the top, a bed with the covers perfectly tucked into place, and two bedside tables that carried two lamps and -

"Oh! I remember that guy!" she called out, pointing to the small metal butterfly she'd given to Weiss. Walking over to the bedside table, Weiss picked up the contraption and held it in one hand. When the wings slowly flapped up and down, she smiled down at it.

"It's relaxing," she said softly.

While Weiss watched the wings, Ruby watched Weiss - again overcome with a feeling of peace when Weiss looked so calm and relaxed.

"I can make you more! One for each room! Then you'll never be far away from one."

Tearing her eyes away and setting the butterfly down as carefully as if it was made of glass, Weiss sighed.

"But this one is special."

Ruby wanted to argue that it was just a little butterfly, but there was no arguing with the look Weiss gave her. Instead, she stayed quiet and nodded in agreement, which seemed to be the right answer from the pleased smile on Weiss' lips.

"Come on, there's one more room I want to show you," Weiss said before heading back into the hall.

"If your sister doesn't even live here, why did she buy it?" Ruby asked while obediently following Weiss down the hallway.

"I think at one point she expected to move here, but her plans changed. Now it's just another investment."

While Weiss spoke, the hallway suddenly gave way to a much larger, more open room. It must be the upstairs living room! Which was an appropriate description because it was filled with an extra comfy-looking white sofa and matching chairs. But the thing Ruby noticed almost immediately was the ceiling.

"Woah, this is cool," she said, looking through the massive skylight to the night sky above. "Think I could get this in my room?"

"If your sister will let you cut a hole in the roof, maybe."

"She totally would. I just need to find something to blackmail her about!"

When Weiss laughed, Ruby grinned - feeling incredibly accomplished from that sound alone.

"Knowing her, that shouldn't be too difficult."

As Weiss' laughter faded away, they lapsed into a silence that was more comfortable than before. The more they talked, the easier this seemed to be. At least for Ruby. They didn't need to put all this emphasis on the past or any of that confusing stuff. Sure, it was important, and they'd have to go through all of it eventually, but that was just it! They had plenty of time.

Patience was important when facing any uphill battle - she learned that when she hadn't been able to hold a spoon in her left hand. Now look at her!

Turning to Weiss, Ruby took a deep breath and took a step closer - watching the way blue eyes curiously tracked her movements. She only stopped when she was standing right in front of Weiss - so close that the tips of their feet were nearly touching.

But Weiss didn't move away. Which was good! Maybe this time she wasn't going to run away - because Ruby had questions! Well, the same question...

"You still...like me, right?" she asked quietly - going with the band-aid approach. She meant as friends, but also more than that. She meant that feeling she had when Weiss looked at her the other day - the one that made her skin tingle and her heart flutter.

"Of course, Ruby. I like you," Weiss answered with one of those smiles that was too perfect to be real. It was a dead giveaway that she was hiding something.

Unlike previous days though, Ruby was determined to find out answers. It was killing her not knowing. So today, right now, she was getting her answer.

"If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?"

Weiss' blue eyes searched Ruby's for a long time before she hesitantly nodded.

"I...will. I promise."

The promise immediately made nerves sparkle in Ruby's veins while she shifted her feet in anticipation. She was nervous to ask, but also nervous to know the answer. She really, really wanted it to be the answer she wanted. Well, yeah, duh...but she had to ask before she'd find out!

"At Beacon...were we _just_ friends?"

This time, Weiss didn't pretend that she didn't know what Ruby was talking about. Instead, she thought about the question for a long time before finally opening her mouth to speak.

"Can I tell you a story?" she asked in return. When Ruby nodded, Weiss took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.

"When I arrived at Beacon…" she began slowly, her hands clasping and unclasping in front of her. "I had no intention of making friends. I was there to become the best huntress ever to graduate. I was going to be the leader of the best team. I was going to change the world by myself. And then...I met you."

"I'm fairly certain you had no such plans. You were just happy to be there. When we became partners, and team members, I thought you were insufferable. How was it that this young, early entrant was made team leader? Why was she treated like someone special? I was determined not to like you, but then...you were always so kind to me." Weiss paused and her brow creased, a frown set on her lips. "Even when I didn't deserve kindness, you gave it without fail."

It was hard for Ruby to imagine Weiss being anyone but the person she was today, but the frown made it clear this was something she regretted. But the story didn't end there.

"Eventually I decided, in my infinite wisdom, that I should tolerate you. Maybe I could learn a few things - after all, your skill set and fighting style were far different from mine. Before I knew it, I found myself enjoying your company. I willingly spent my free time with you. We trained together nonstop. We walked to class together. For the first time, I never wondered who I'd sit with in the cafeteria or who would be my partner for class projects."

Pausing again, Weiss' bottom lip gave a slight tremble before she continued, her voice growing heavy with emotion.

" _I_ was the insufferable one, Ruby. I was conceited, arrogant, selfish, and thought I was always right. No one would have blamed you if you didn't like me. Instead, you went out of your way to be my friend."

Looking at the ground, Weiss sniffed and quickly rubbed a hand across her nose.

It was so hard to see Weiss upset...instinctively, Ruby reached out and took both of Weiss' hands in her own, trying to provide reassurance with a gentle squeeze. After several seconds of solemn silence, Weiss cleared her throat and looked up.

"You were my f-first real friend," she whispered, her voice wavering as tears clouded her eyes. "And I...I fell in love with you."

When Weiss dropped one of Ruby's hands to run her fingers across her eyes, Ruby felt like a mule had just kicked her in the chest. In a good way. Maybe. That probably wasn't ever a good feeling, but holy _mule_ was that actually true?

"I didn't know what to do," Weiss continued, speaking quickly now. "It wasn't supposed to happen - not at school, not on my own team, not you. I convinced myself that it was nothing. That we were just best friends. Pretty soon I found myself fighting against it, trying to prove to myself that it was nothing more than friendship…"

Furrowing her brow, Ruby used her free hand to touch the ring around her neck.

"But...I loved you too," she said, searching her mind for any memories to back up that claim but finding nothing.

She didn't remember it, but it felt like it was true because...well, she'd never been in love before, but could that be the warm feeling in her chest whenever Weiss was nearby? Or those wonderful butterflies that happened whenever Ruby thought about her?

"I don't know how that ever happened."

Wiping away more tears, Weiss mustered a self-depreciating smile that tugged painfully at Ruby's heart. Taking a half step forward - so they could be that much closer - Ruby reached up to touch Weiss' cheek. And when Weiss leaned into Ruby's palm, her heart skipped a beat. Make that several.

It was kind of upsetting that Weiss didn't understand how amazing she was. It was upsetting that she believed it was a mistake that someone could have fallen in love with her, when it was actually quite easy to do.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question slipped out before Ruby even stopped to think about it. Cheeks insta-flushing, she ran her hand through her hair when Weiss' eyes snapped to hers in surprise.

"I-I mean, uh...well, I wanted to do it yesterday at Beacon, then I chickened out. But now I still...I mean, yeah, I still kinda want to…but only if that's like - something you'd be ok with..."

Weiss was still watching Ruby, blushing softly but not shying away from her eyes. Then she nodded.

"Yes."

The answer shocked Ruby so much, she was briefly worried her brain might completely malfunction. But her brain held up and then the nerves hit - so many nerves.

"Ok, um…"

Taking another tiny step forward, she stopped and shivered - not from any cold, but from more nerves than she'd ever felt before in her _life_. They were only inches apart now - close enough that Weiss needed to tilt her head slightly in order to look Ruby in the eyes. Flushing deeply, she placed one hand on Weiss' elbow only to drop it when her cheeks grew even hotter.

If only she could remember...maybe then it wouldn't be so nerve-wracking to be this close and to think about crossing that line. But she knew she wanted to cross that line...because Weiss looked at her like no one else had in her entire life.

For Grimm's sake, Ruby, get a grip on yourself. Just do it.

Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and kissed Weiss right on the lips. And Weiss moved closer, kissing Ruby back and sending tendrils of electricity shooting through her body, igniting a spark deep in her chest she'd never felt before.

It was like being _alive_ \- like every cell in her body was alive and tingling with excitement.

It was only when Weiss pressed even closer, one hand clasping Ruby's upper arm while the other slid to her waist, that Ruby broke away with a nervous chuckle - using her hand to keep Weiss from following.

"I'm sorry -" Weiss immediately apologized, her expression filling with remorse.

"No! Don't be sorry! That was…um..." Clearing her throat, Ruby shook her head. Her mind was spinning and her heart was pounding like a drum in her ears and chest.

That was amazing, but she had no idea what was supposed to happen _next_.

Cheeks suddenly flushing, she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Oh my god - I'm so sorry!" she wailed into her palms. "I've never done that before! Not that I remember. But don't tell me!"

New levels of mortification were being reached when she heard a small laugh and a light hand gently pushed Ruby's hands away from her face. Looking up, she found Weiss' eyes dancing merrily - an expression of true happiness she'd been dying to see again.

"You have _nothing_ to be embarrassed about," Weiss assured her. And when she said those words, Ruby felt her awkwardness slowly disappear.

When Ruby finally dropped her hands, Weiss smiled and pulled her in for a hug - a good hug. A tender, really loving hug. Holding Weiss close, Ruby heard a soft sigh slip out from the girl in her arms. The sound made her hug a little tighter, like maybe if she squeezed strongly enough, Weiss' memories would seep into her.

If her mind had been a mess before…

THEY'D JUST KISSED! Holy COW! How had that even happened? And they'd been together! Before - they'd been a _thing_. An item.

They'd been in love.

If they had been before, then they could be again. And they could kiss again! Right? Because that was absolutely _incredible_.

"Then is this from you?" Ruby asked, breaking away and using her free hand to lift up the diamond ring hanging around her neck. And she knew what it was now - it wasn't _just_ a ring -

"Yes," Weiss answered, her eyes never leaving Ruby's. "That was a promise we made to each other."

 _That_ kind of promise.

Her heart was never slowing back down.

"No wonder…" she muttered, looking down at the ring before turning back to Weiss and smiling. "No wonder the more you were around, the less I felt like I needed it. You've been part of my strength all along!"

Letting out a shaky sigh, Weiss subconsciously touched a finger to her lips and made Ruby blush all over again.

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," Weiss commented, not noticing what she'd just done.

"That makes two of us!" Ruby quipped before reaching out and wrapping Weiss in another hug. This time, Ruby lifted Weiss off the ground and spun her in a few circles before setting her down and smiling like a fool. "Thanks for telling me."

"Thank you for asking again."

The two of them stared at each other for a long time - with grins set in place - before Weiss' eyes briefly snapped up to the sky. Following her gaze, Ruby found that it was now _officially_ night time. The skylight was filled with twinkling stars and a brightly-glowing moon.

"I should probably take you home now," Weiss remarked, giving Ruby an apologetic smile.

"Uh...maybe I could stay here a little longer?"

There was _no way_ Ruby wanted to leave right now. Not after this.

Thankfully, Weiss seemed to agree by the relief that passed over her expression.

"You're always welcome here, Ruby," she stated sincerely. "Could you let Yang know though? The last thing I want is her breaking down the door looking for you..."

Searching her pockets for her nearly-forgotten scroll, Ruby chuckled.

"I wish I could say that didn't sound like her..." she muttered while typing out a quick message letting Yang know not to expect her home. "Sent!"

Smiling cheerfully, she glanced around the room when an idea popped into her head.

"Hey, wanna do something fun?"

"Sure."

Grinning, Ruby reached out to grab one of the sofa cushions before realizing she should ask permission when in someone else's house. "Oh, can I move these?"

"Of course."

With permission granted, Ruby started collecting cushions and tossing them on the ground to form a giant bed of pillows.

"Wait here," she directed Weiss before running over and flipping the lights off.

"How did you turn those off?" Weiss instantly asked, looking at Ruby like she'd just worked some kind of miracle.

"Oh...uh...that light switch over there? Was that not ok?"

Weiss stared at the switch for a long time before shaking her head. "I tried that switch a hundred times…"

"I've got the magic touch!" Ruby said before jumping onto the giant pillow bed she'd just created and patting the cushion next to her. For a moment, it looked like Weiss might not follow, but then she shook her head again and laid down beside Ruby - the two of them looking through the skylight at the moon and the stars.

"It's like camping! But without any pesky bugs," Ruby explained while wiggling around to sink more comfortably in the cushions.

"And with much better company."

The comment was the perfect trifecta - it made Ruby blush, her heart flutter, and darn if she couldn't keep a smile from appearing on her lips.

"I'm guessing you already knew the story of my mom," Ruby said, suddenly realizing that there were probably a lot of things she'd said that Weiss had already known.

"That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy hearing it again," Weiss replied, immediately easing Ruby's worry that she'd been super boring by repeating herself.

It was so _easy_ to spend time with Weiss. She just had this way about her that made Ruby comfortable no matter what was going on - even if memory bombshells were being dropped left and right.

"What's one thing you really miss from Beacon?" Ruby asked, scooting closer to Weiss - close enough that their shoulders just barely touched.

"Besides you?"

Ruby instantly blushed again.

Wow, Weiss was getting really good at making her blush.

"Yeah, like the food or something?" she clarified, although she didn't mind the first answer one bit.

"Oh, the food was horrendous," Weiss said with a laugh that lifted Ruby's heart. "There was this especially horrible casserole served every Wednesday...we found food elsewhere on those days."

"Like where?"

"We took turns making dinner. It was us and JNPR, the team across the hall. One week, we were in charge of food, the next week they were."

When Weiss laughed again, Ruby grinned.

"One time, Yang wanted to pull a prank on them," Weiss began, laughing again at the memory. "You know how she gets with pranks...and this time she went a little overboard. First, Blake and I were supposed to find as many worms as we could -"

Sensing a long story, Ruby rolled onto her side so she could watch Weiss while she talked, twinkling blue eyes still looking up at the night sky.

Ruby loved it when Weiss smiled or laughed. And she loved listening to the sound of Weiss' voice rising and falling with its own unique melody. She loved seeing Weiss happy. She loved everything about Weiss.

"You were supposed to go to the store and get a box of chocolate cake mix. Now, this is where the plan started to fall apart -"

Grinning, Ruby reached over to hold one of Weiss' hands - her happiness growing when Weiss willingly let her.

This was her partner. They hadn't been just friends. They _weren't_ just friends. And this had only brought them closer. Like _way_ closer.


	37. Chapter 37

**Well, we finally made it over the hump, huh? It's funny to hear the change in everyone's emotions regarding this story. Do you remember the angst from the beginning? The tears? (Just thought I'd remind you.)**

 **Thank you again for all of the support. I honestly love writing for all of you. Some days it's a little rough, but overall it's wonderful to have the opportunity to share these stories with you. You're all wonderful - thank you for reading my stories. :)**

* * *

For the second day in a row, Weiss woke up without any clue where she was. In addition to the confusion, this morning threw in the added bonus of a terrible crick in her neck and a way-too-bright room searing behind her eyelids. Cracking her eyes open, she found herself staring up at...the sky?

She tried to move, and a groan slipped out when her neck fervently protested. Whatever she was sleeping on was somewhat comfortable, but lumpy and uneven. It was the unevenness that sat oddly under her neck - propping her head up in an awkward position. It felt like multiple pieces that weren't perfectly molded together. Almost like sofa cushions.

Sofa cushions…like the ones Ruby had thrown onto the ground last night.

Turning tentatively to one side, Weiss' mounting wish was immediately granted - Ruby was curled up nearby, still sleeping soundly with one hand gently grasping the ring hanging from her necklace. The sight - which was nearly too precious to describe - sent Weiss' heart bursting into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

Last night actually happened. It wasn't just a wonderful dream - it was real.

When Weiss was on the verge of sleep last night, she'd worried that morning would come and, with it, her night with Ruby would disappear. The entire evening had been so many wishes come true that she believed it could be nothing more than a cruel dream - a trick her mind played on her, to which she'd willingly surrendered.

If it was a dream, she was still living it. She could feel the feather-light breaths brushing against her cheek when Ruby exhaled, and the stiffness in her neck was definitely real. Which meant their kiss...

Real, real, all of it was real.

Closing her eyes, she tried to contain her rapidly-expanding jubilation. She was so elated she could probably fly herself to the moon right now. While she was there, she'd say 'hello' to Ruby's mom and thank her for such an amazing daughter.

After the initial rush of happiness surged through her, Weiss opened her eyes and felt her heart instantly do another flip in her chest. Reaching out, careful to move slowly so as not to disturb the peace settled over them, she brushed a few short strands of hair out of Ruby's eyes. When they fell right back into place, she smiled and dropped her hand to the cushion between them - content to savor this moment while it lasted.

When was the last time she'd felt so...light and free? It felt as if the weights that had been dragging her down for quite some time had suddenly lifted - giving her the opportunity to feel what it was like to live a blessed, guilt-free life. Talking, telling stories, laughing, being honest and free and open and _together_ \- it was all working wonders in breathing life back into her bones.

But what did this mean for them now? What was Ruby feeling? She said herself that everything was a jumble of confusion that she needed to sort through, but what questions was she trying to answer? How long might it take? It would be presumptuous to expect Ruby to want to get back together this instant, right?

No, those weren't the questions Weiss should focus on right now. For once, she needed to stop worrying about every possible answer in advance. Their future, whatever it may be, would happen regardless of how much she overanalyzed every thought and action. It was more important to be here right now, with Ruby.

Ruby...who was wonderful in ways that had yet to be explained. For all she'd gone through and all she'd accomplished, she never lost sight of humility, compassion, and the drive to help others. If there was anything Weiss wanted most in this world, other than Ruby's safety, it was to help Ruby reach all of her goals and more.

When a soft sigh passed Ruby's lips, Weiss couldn't help wondering what thought or dream had been the source of it. Would it be selfish for her to hope it was an alternate version of herself gracing Ruby's subconscious? That sleep hadn't separated them at all, but only changed the plane on which they interacted?

Still in the midst of that dream, Ruby shifted in a way that caused the sun to bother her eyes - so she shifted even more. Another sigh appeared, this one sounding heavier and more annoyed than the first. Her fingers curled and then uncurled - releasing her ring before her eyes finally peeked open, sparkling silver appearing and disappearing while the haze of sleep lifted.

Ruby was waking up...and it was still the most adorable moment in the world.

"Good morning," Weiss whispered while Ruby's eyes blinked several times to clear the sleep away.

"Mmmmorning…"

The mumble was followed by an adorable yawn that Ruby covered with one hand while stretching her other arm above her head.

"Did you sleep alright?" Weiss asked, drawing both Ruby's gaze and a still-sleepy smile.

"Yeah...did you?"

The last two nights Weiss had slept so peacefully that today she was recharged and rejuvenated in a way she hadn't felt in quite some time. Not only was she sleeping well, undisturbed by bad dreams, but the events of the past couple of days had left her feeling lighter than air.

"I did," she replied simply, feeling no need to go into those details at the moment.

"I can't believe we fell asleep on the cushions," Ruby said, sitting up and looking around. "But you can't beat that view, right?"

When Ruby unceremoniously flopped back onto the cushions to look up at the sky, Weiss felt a smile slip onto her lips. If she woke up to this view every morning, she could die happy - and her reason had nothing to do with the beautiful sky up above.

Even though the morning had already passed them by - and she probably had a hundred unread messages from work - she'd be completely fine lying here all day. Just the two of them…'hanging out' again...how they used to.

When she heard a soft grumble of someone's stomach, she realized staying here all day wasn't an option.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, earning a happy look from Ruby in return.

"Pretty sure that's a question with only one answer!"

Chuckling at the response, Weiss pushed herself to her feet before reaching down to pull Ruby off of their makeshift bed.

"Alright - let's find breakfast. And you can leave those," she said, waving Ruby away from the cushions so they could walk downstairs together - hand-in-hand after Ruby took Weiss' hand in her own.

"I had a dream I was a teacup," Ruby mused as they headed down the wide staircase towards the kitchen.

"A teacup?"

"Yeah. It was really weird. I was super worried about getting broken, too." Her brow cutely creasing while trying to remember the dream, Ruby followed Weiss through the doorway of the kitchen on autopilot. "People aren't very careful with teacups!" Ruby concluded in a near whine. "I think I got a chipped tooth or something…"

After pulling out one of the chairs surrounding the large island and patting the seat for Ruby, Weiss gestured towards Ruby's mouth.

"Show me a smile," she directed, playfully making a show of checking each of Ruby's teeth before smiling. "No chips here - just a wonderful smile."

The way Ruby beamed at the compliment made _Weiss_ blush and turn to the cupboards for relief. "Let's see what we have…" she muttered, walking over to open the first door and peek inside.

Cooking was a hobby Weiss had only pursued due to Ruby's love for food. It had been a fruitless endeavor in the beginning - and rightfully so. She'd never cooked for _herself_ before enrolling at Beacon, and suddenly she was trying to impress her perpetually-hungry partner? The first few iterations of 'breakfast' had been...less than edible.

As it turned out, Weiss was about as equipped to become a chef as Ruby was to win a walk-a-thon - meaning, not at all. Memorizing recipes and instructions was easy, but there was a special magic needed to translate those directions into a finished product. Surprisingly, it took some improvisation to react to what the _food_ was doing, not just what the instructions told her to do. It was a somewhat ironic parallel to her weakness in battle - where she struggled when her training and calculated strategies were thrown into disarray.

Fortunately, one member of their team was a master of improvisation.

It was only after Weiss caved and asked Yang for help that significant improvement was made. Already quite adept in the art of feeding Ruby - seeing as how she'd done it for most of their childhood - Yang was able to pass along some of Ruby's favorite recipes while also teaching Weiss how to _cook_ , not 'cook.'

That was literally the entire first lesson - Yang using the word 'cook' in different tones until Weiss couldn't even tell if that was the right word anymore.

As anyone would have expected, it didn't take long for the two of them to want to strangle each other in frustration, but they pushed through those struggles. Personally, Weiss was driven by her desire to offer _something_ of value to Ruby, while Yang wanted to pass along the title of 'Person Ruby Goes to for Food.'

It hadn't taken Weiss long to learn _why_ Yang was so willing to give up that title - Ruby was an absolute vacuum cleaner when it came to any and all food.

Opening and closing several more cupboards and then the refrigerator, Weiss quickly realized how ill-prepared she was for Ruby's visit. Nothing in the house would appeal to someone like Ruby - there wasn't enough sugar.

Scrunching her brow and scouring the dusty collection of recipes in her head, Weiss took stock of what was available and tried to come up with something. Thankfully, an idea popped into her mind.

"Would you like french toast?"

"You can make french toast?"

"You didn't think I could only make spaghetti, did you?" Weiss asked, turning around to shoot Ruby a playful look of disbelief.

"I mean...if you can make the world's best spaghetti, you don't really _need_ to make anything else..."

Chuckling while pulling a mixing bowl from a cupboard and some measuring spoons from a drawer, Weiss sent a quick glance Ruby's way.

"Would you eat spaghetti three times a day?"

"Yours? Yeah, most likely."

Failing to prevent a pleased smile from appearing, Weiss turned away to find a loaf of bread.

She'd always loved the way Ruby doled out compliments. They were genuine, honest, and not spoken to ingratiate any favor. They were just...true.

"Well, thankfully I'm capable of making a few other things," Weiss commented while setting a host of items on the island to prepare breakfast.

French toast was perfect. It was quick and easy to make. It involved limited ingredients, all of which were available. And it was, or had been, one of Ruby's favorites.

"Have you ever made french toast before?" Weiss asked while cracking eggs into a bowl. The answer was 'yes,' but that was another first they'd shared at Beacon. What she was really asking was whether Yang or Blake had made french toast for Ruby during the past year.

"Nnnope! But I have a ton of experience eating it!"

Smiling, Weiss motioned her head for Ruby to come over.

"You can help me," she said before quickly scrambling the eggs and other ingredients together. Leaving Ruby at the bowl, Weiss opened the loaf of bread and set a stack of slices by Ruby's elbow. "Soak these in the egg; then I'll cook them."

Obediently dropping the first slice into the bowl, Ruby stared at it while Weiss prepared the pan.

"Um…"

"Use your hands," Weiss instructed with a grin, making sure to watch as Ruby stuck her hand into the bowl. The expression she made next was priceless.

"This feels so weirddd!" Ruby squealed gleefully. "Like a crazy spongey slug thingy!"

"Yes, 'crazy spongey slug thingy' is precisely how I'd describe it. But don't leave it in too long or it'll get soggy."

"Oh!"

When Ruby hurriedly pulled out the piece of bread, they both watched as it split in half and one half plopped back into the bowl. Ruby cringed, still holding one gooey half in her hand.

"Uhh...this one's mine."

Shaking her head, Weiss brought the pan over for Ruby to drop the bread into before quickly fishing the other half out of the bowl. "They're all yours," she commented while moving back to the stove. "I don't normally eat breakfast, so that grapefruit over there is for me."

"Grapefruit? Ew."

When Ruby scrunched her nose, Weiss laughed. Somehow, that reaction hadn't changed in years.

"Exactly. Ew," she agreed with a smile as she turned her attention back to the pan. "Try another piece?"

The second slice of bread made it to the pan in one piece, while the third and fourth were prepared to perfection.

"And now we flip -" Weiss muttered while slipping a spatula under a half-cooked piece and flipping it over. "Voila!"

Proudly turning to Ruby, Weiss found silver eyes and a grin already set on her. The look was enough to make her blush and turn back to the pan to flip the rest of the slices over.

Ruby was staying close this morning, her presence always near Weiss' elbow. Even when Weiss couldn't see Ruby out of her peripheral vision, she could pick out the smell of fresh roses nearby - a scent she loved above all others.

"Can you find a plate?" she asked, pointing in the general direction of the right cupboard. Ruby wasn't gone more than a blink of an eye before she was back, followed by a few rose petals that drifted lazily into the pan. Calmly picking them out, Weiss arranged them in a small flower on the edge of Ruby's plate for decoration before layering the finished french toast in the center.

"There you have it," she commented, holding the plate out to Ruby. "Breakfast is served."

Briefly looking at the plate, Ruby turned back to Weiss with a warm smile.

"You're amazing."

A blush hadn't even finished appearing on Weiss' cheeks before Ruby raced over to the table and sat down. Fishing out a fork and knife from a drawer, Weiss slid the silverware across to Ruby before realizing that they were missing one very crucial ingredient.

"Oh...we don't have any syrup."

"That's ok! I can eat 'em like this!" Using her fork to cut off a corner, Ruby happily popped the piece in her mouth. Sighing in defeat, Weiss sat across from Ruby and carefully cut her grapefruit in half.

That wasn't the _optimal_ way to eat french toast though...

"I'm sorry. I forgot you'd need syrup…" she muttered, taking a bite of grapefruit and looking around the kitchen as if a bottle of syrup would pop out of the cupboards. When her eyes made their way back to Ruby, she caught another one of those heart-melting looks.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing," Ruby immediately said. When Weiss raised her brow in disbelief, Ruby caved and explained. "Ok, uh, I was just kinda wondering…if maybe..."

When Ruby shut her mouth and blushed profusely, Weiss felt her own cheeks warm.

Oh. That's what Ruby was getting at.

"You think we could, ya know." Tapping one finger quickly to her lips, Ruby just as quickly looked away. "Again?"

"You don't need to ask," Weiss managed to answer, already feeling breathless in anticipation.

"Yeah, but I felt like -" Pausing, Ruby hid her face in both hands while Weiss resisted the urge to do the same. If this was what it was going to be like every time, she'd surpass her yearly blush quota in no time. Considering she'd already been through this stage once before, shouldn't she have a bit more maturity this time around?

Dropping her hands, Ruby quickly leaned forward and kissed Weiss across the table - catching her completely off guard in the process. By the time her eyes closed and she breathed in the scent of roses, Ruby was already pulling away.

But with a pretty pleased grin on her lips.

"You taste like grapefruit."

"You taste like french toast," Weiss whispered back, her heart pounding wildly in her ears. Ruby made an 'mmm' noise before taking another bite of her breakfast - that grin still set in place while she chewed.

A shiver ran through Weiss as she ate another piece of grapefruit, which tasted incredibly sour after that kiss.

"Are you cold?"

"No, just -" Suddenly, Weiss paused when she remembered something. "Actually, there's ice cream in the freezer."

Her forgetfulness would have to be attributed to Ruby's all-consuming company. At least, that was her excuse as she retrieved the frozen treat.

"No way! Ice cream with breakfast?"

"Don't get too used to it," Weiss teased while placing the container on the countertop with a spoon. Ruby spun it around to read the top, where words had been scrawled in permanent marker.

"'Welcome back, Ice Cream?'" she read aloud, her face scrunched in confusion.

"Your sister sent it," Weiss explained while sitting down. "A pretty clear sign that they knew where I was staying. It's a play on the name 'Ice Queen,' something people used to call me."

"Oh...I get it - since you're so good with ice!" Ruby quipped before digging out a big scoop of ice cream and dumping it on top of her french toast. The response made Weiss smile.

"Something like that..."

The fact that Ruby couldn't see another application of that nickname filled Weiss with gratitude. She liked to believe that she'd left that version of herself behind, and she was glad Ruby wouldn't have to live through that maturing process once again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked while Ruby demolished her sugar-topped breakfast, hoping to uncover a greater understanding of how Ruby had taken the information from last night. "Overwhelmed?"

Swallowing the bite in her mouth, Ruby shrugged and smiled.

"A bit - but in a happy way, you know? I'm just glad I can spend time with you!"

The response was such an incredible relief. Somehow, Ruby knew exactly what to say to take enormous weight off of Weiss' shoulders. When Weiss expected the worst, Ruby hardly flinched - taking life-altering information in stride. But she'd always been the most resilient of the four of them...

After downing another bite that looked like nearly half a slice, Ruby tapped her fingers against the table in hesitation.

"I have a question though…" she finally said. "If we were like...ya know, _together_ after graduating, then - like, were we...I mean, where were we staying?"

It was like pulling on a thread. The more Ruby pulled, the more everything unraveled. But Weiss had made a promise that she'd be honest from here on out, and she intended to keep that promise.

"We were staying...together."

"Like in a house somewhere?"

Looking at Ruby, Weiss battled with herself over how to answer that question. Should she reply in the easiest of terms? Or should she commit to true honesty - and with it, complete disclosure?

The old Weiss, unfortunately, would hedge around the subject. But today...Ruby deserved the answers she was seeking.

"Do you think you can absorb some more information?" Weiss asked instead of answering directly.

"You bet! I'm just as spongey as that bread! Only not really, cuz I won't break in half if you leave me in egg too long. Not that you'd leave me in egg too long because you know exactly how long is too long." When Weiss tilted her head in amusement, Ruby waved her hands and ended her ramble. "Or just yes. Yes, I can absorb more information."

"Then I can show you," Weiss replied, clearing her plate and half-empty grapefruit off of the table, trying to ignore the bubble of doubt growing in her chest.

Did she really want to do this?

"Field trip!" Ruby cheered before shoving the remainder of breakfast into her mouth and popping the top back onto the ice cream carton.

Once the ice cream was away and the dishes were in the sink, Weiss walked out of the kitchen with Ruby right on her heels. Destination: memory lane.

Ruby was doing a very poor job hiding her excitement, as there was a noticeable hop in her step while she raced into the foyer.

"Is it far?"

"Not very. We'll be there soon."

Weiss' doubt only grew with those words, but she took a deep breath and pushed herself forward - away from the relative comfort of Winter's home and into the car to set them on their course.

"Shouldn't you be at work today?" Ruby suddenly asked, fiddling with all of the buttons on the passenger side of the car but not pressing any of them.

"I told them I'd be out for a few days for The Invite," Weiss explained, grateful for the change in conversation while heading along far-too-familiar roads. "But yes, I'll need to check in with them eventually."

Feeling eyes on her, she glanced over and caught a sincere smile that made her instantly blush and turn away.

Why hadn't she told Ruby sooner? If she'd known that this was how Ruby would respond, she would've come clean much, much earlier. Although, realistically, it probably helped that they were already close when the news was revealed.

Regardless, she suddenly found herself grateful that the information was out in the open. Not only had it pushed their relationship to another level, but the amount of stress it had done away with was remarkable. Who needed a massage when there was this little thing called honesty?

"Oh! We're kinda near the shopping center!"

"It is. We were frequent customers," Weiss commented while navigating the streets. Ruby made a soft 'hmm' in thought before continuing to stare out the passenger window.

The more familiar the streets became, the bigger Weiss' bubble of doubt grew. It was easy to convince herself back at Winter's house that this was what needed to be done - for Ruby. It was entirely different to think that this was necessary when her palms were beginning to sweat against the steering wheel.

But the decision had been made, and they reached the point of no return when Weiss drove through a set of gates and parked in front of the house that had sat silent for just over a year now. A familiar feeling - fear - joined her growing doubt when they stepped outside. Suddenly, she was unsure if she could set foot inside, not knowing what demons she may be forced to confront.

"Is this...?"

When Ruby turned to Weiss for confirmation, she took a quick breath and nodded.

"This was our home."

The word still carried a certain amount of pain and longing in it - the type that made her heart clench in her chest.

This was home. This was where Weiss wanted to run when life grew increasingly rough, but the person who'd made it 'home' hadn't been here. Instead, it sat empty...just as alone as she had been.

"It looks nice!"

It did look nice - well-maintained despite its lack of use. Every precaution had been taken to make sure it never fell into disrepair, ensuring that it would survive in a time capsule - never changing even as the world around it did.

Taking a deep breath to collect herself, Weiss forced her feet up the steps to the front door, where she quickly punched in the entry code. It was only after the door unlocked that she realized Ruby was no longer standing behind her. Turning around, she found Ruby still standing at the foot of the stairs, her eyes trained upwards as if the second story windows were in the midst of telling her their secrets.

"Ruby?" Weiss called out.

"Oh! Yup, sorry, coming!" Racing up the steps, Ruby gave Weiss an embarrassed grin.

"We can always leave -"

"No! I wanna go in!" Ruby quickly said. "I was just trying to get a feeling for the vibe, ya know? But I'm ready."

Nodding at the response, Weiss balled her fingers into fists, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

The familiarity was overwhelming. The sights, the smells, the unique quiet broken only by the soft ticking of a clock in another room. When Ruby's shoulder brushed against hers, Weiss closed her eyes and struggled to remain calm in the midst of a sudden storm of emotions.

It was like coming home after a long trip - exhausted and worn through-and-through, but finally making it back to their space...together. This was where they could relax and truly _live_ , sometimes pretending as if everything beyond these walls ceased to exist. This was their refuge from the never-ending wars. This was their safe place...their shelter…

This was their home.

The sound of footsteps made Weiss open her eyes. Ruby walked further into the foyer - the dark wood floors making slight creaks as she walked - while her eyes took in every last inch of the space. It was nowhere near as grand as the entryway to Winter's home, but it was elegant in its own way. The chandelier was a touch Weiss had insisted upon, and it added a great deal of character to the air above their heads. Thankfully, the broken vase had been cleaned up since Weiss' last visit, leaving the foyer floor sparkling clean. And the photographs had been righted - drawing Ruby's immediate attention.

"Wow! This is a great photo. You look so pretty!"

Weiss blushed while Ruby looked at a picture from Yang's birthday party several years ago.

"I mean, you still are, but this picture is also really pretty!" Ruby stammered. "You're just pretty all the time. That's what I'm trying to say!"

"Thank you," Weiss murmured before stepping forward to join Ruby by the picture, leaving the safety of the doorway behind. Being close to Ruby was comforting...that's how she would get through this.

"So...are you gonna give me the grand tour?"

Tour. Right, of course. Why wasn't Weiss able to think properly at the moment?

"Yes," she said, gesturing to their right. "There are only three bedrooms - two for guests and then...the master. The living room is through here -"

Walking through the open doorway, Weiss paused in the center of the airy living room. High ceilings, not overcrowded with furniture, ice-white curtains draping tall windows that looked out to the front and back lawns on either side. A piano. Several floor-to-ceiling bookcases holding books on such a wide variety of subjects it would be impossible to group them together. During the day, sunlight filled the room, but at night a variety of standing and desk lamps provided ample lighting.

"Just the one," Weiss joked lightly while Ruby walked over to the bookcases and ran a hand across the spines on one shelf. "There isn't room for an upstairs living room anyway…"

"Guess two living rooms is kinda excessive," Ruby replied, her eyes only briefly landing on Weiss before scanning the room one more time. "What kinda stuff did we do in here?"

The question caught Weiss off guard. For whatever reason, she hadn't anticipated that Ruby would want to know _how_ they'd lived here. She thought seeing would be enough, but, then again, why would that be enough when Ruby was openly curious about their life together?

"Well, we...we would read. Or sit and talk after dinner. Blake and Yang would come over often. Or, I was teaching you some piano."

"Am I any good then?" Ruby asked with a playful smile and nod towards the piano. Weiss couldn't help but smile in return.

"You're...improving."

Laughing at the diplomatic answer, Ruby walked back the way they came, turning around one more time to take in the room in its entirety. "It does look like a great room for reading and chatting," she commented absentmindedly on the way out.

"It was," Weiss quietly agreed before leading them across the entryway to the room on the other side.

It was like walking through a living memory. The pictures on the walls, the furniture, the random odds and ends strewn about. Some were trophies from hunts or souvenirs from vacations, but everything was tied to the past in some way, shape, or form. Even Ruby, though she didn't remember, was a piece of that past. She belonged in these halls just as much as Weiss did.

"The kitchen," Weiss announced when they entered the marbled masterpiece. "And dining room," she added, nodding towards the attached dining area that held a large wooden table and chairs.

"So this is where you made spaghetti and french toast!"

"Among other things," she added while a smile tugged at her lips. "Thankfully, we didn't subsist on just those two foods...or cold cereal."

"Hey, I can make a mean bowl of cereal!"

If Ruby was going out of her way to help Weiss relax, it was working. Every small comment was comforting and made her feel...more like herself. Like her _old_ self.

"And how do you provoke your cereal to such anger?" she teased, succeeding in drawing a laugh from Ruby.

"I dunno...poke it a bunch?"

Their laughter was like medicine, working wonders as it ran through Weiss' system. It was easy for her to believe that as long as Ruby was happy and laughing, everything was alright.

"This looks like a nice place," Ruby commented, again looking around with a small smile. "It looks like...someplace I'd like to hang out and eat."

The response made Weiss happier than she would have expected. She loved this house - it was one of her favorite places in the entire world - but to hear that Ruby thought it looked like a nice place to spend time...that meant a lot to her.

"Well, that's pretty much it for the first level," Weiss said, dragging one finger across the island in the kitchen. "Do you want to see upstairs?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

A part of her was searching for an early exit from this memory, but, thankfully, Ruby wouldn't allow it. Instead, Weiss gestured back to the entryway, determined to move on.

As Weiss turned to lead the way, however, Ruby reached out and grabbed ahold of her hand. Glancing at their intertwined fingers, she smiled and pulled Ruby up to the soft, carpeted living level. It was a silent gesture, but it said one thing very clearly - they were in this together.

"There are two guest rooms," Weiss explained, heading to the pair of matching doors located above the living room. Pushing one open, she stepped out of the way so Ruby could peek inside and see the lavender-themed room beyond.

"Who stayed with us?" Ruby asked, walking into the room while Weiss waited by the door. She would have followed Ruby, but...the hallway felt much safer at the moment.

"Your sister and Blake if they stayed too late and didn't want to head home," she answered, watching Ruby move around the room, trying to ignore the pinpricks of pain stemming from seeing Ruby in such a familiar setting. "Or friends from Beacon - JNPR mostly. CFVY every once in a while if they were in town and needed a quick place to stay."

Weiss had no idea if the team names were recognizable, but Ruby nodded as if it made sense to her - all while her silver eyes ceaselessly scanned the small room. Eventually, she rejoined Weiss and immediately looked at the door across the hall. Sensing the silent question, Weiss stepped across the hall and pushed the second door open - again standing aside so Ruby could see.

"The second guest room."

This one was themed in a light yellow - a _tasteful_ light yellow, unlike what Yang would have people believe. Other than being shaded in a different color, the two rooms were practically mirror images of each other. The same beds, the same chests of drawers...with varying pieces of artwork hung on the walls.

"I like 'em! They look comfy."

"They are. Nothing over the top though."

While Weiss spoke, she glanced at the only remaining door upstairs - the one down the hall. If there was any room in this house that she was terrified of, it was the one behind that door. Unfortunately, Ruby caught the look and turned that way.

"And that one?" Ruby prodded gently, giving Weiss what could only be described as an encouraging smile while gesturing towards the door. It was almost as if she knew...as if somehow she sensed that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Weiss to press forward.

But they were going to move forward - together. Together, they were strong enough to make it through this.

Walking down the hall with nothing but determination driving her forward, Weiss opened the door and gestured for Ruby to go in first before clenching a fist and following. As soon as her eyes found the room beyond, she felt a vice tighten around her heart and throat - making it difficult to breathe while her pulse thumped painfully.

Everything was exactly how she left it - exactly how _they_ left it - the morning they'd set out for the hunt. She'd given the housecleaners explicit instructions to keep it clean, but not to move _anything_ in this room. And so it had remained...the perfect time capsule of their life together.

A small pile of washed, folded laundry was still sitting on the desk chair - Ruby hadn't put it away the night before, but she'd promised to do it 'later.' On top of the desk were neat stacks of unused envelopes from the official wedding invitations they'd just mailed out. The large window overlooking the backyard still had a heart drawn on it in white marker, and Weiss still had no idea if it would ever come off because she didn't know what type of marker Ruby used.

It was all still here, just as it had been...right before this life ended...

"This is…?"

"Our room…" Weiss replied before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of unfamiliar air. In Ruby's absence, the room lost what she'd once considered a permanent aroma of roses. How long had it taken for the scent to wither away?

It wasn't a question she could answer. In the aftermath of that day, she spent all of her time in the hospital. When she finally started coming home at night, she'd stayed in the lavender bedroom - unable to bear staying in their room alone.

Feeling someone grasp her hands, her eyes shot open in surprise - finding silver eyes filled with concern.

While Weiss teetered on the edge of this vast chasm of heartache, Ruby had returned to her side and was now watching her intently.

"Are you ok?" Ruby whispered, the soft question causing Weiss' throat catch in sadness.

"I should be asking you that…" Weiss whispered back, hearing emotion running thickly through her tone - enough so that Ruby gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

"I'm ok. I think this is a lot harder for you than for me..."

As Weiss let her eyes wander from Ruby back to the room, the desire to cry swelled in her chest.

This was their life together. This was what they'd lost. It was all right here - just...sitting here. Abandoned. Left behind.

Forgotten.

The sense of loss was overwhelming, but when a sob rose to the surface, Ruby squeezed Weiss' hands reassuringly - telling her without words that it was alright to cry now. It was alright to mourn. It was alright to feel the weight of grief that had plagued her for so long.

But when one tear slipped out, no more followed. The feeling abated. The tears receded, and the constriction in her throat loosened.

This was what they'd lost. This was what they'd once had. It was painful and sad and some days it hurt like hell, but...she couldn't live in the past forever. She'd eventually have to live for today, and for tomorrow. She'd have to find the good in what she had - and there was good to be found, beginning with the caring girl standing right in front of her.

"I'll be alright," she said softly, wiping away the tear and giving Ruby's hands a squeeze of gratitude. And for the first time in quite a long time, she believed the words she said.

"Then...I can keep exploring?"

"Please feel free."

Before moving away, Ruby gently rubbed Weiss' cheek - where the solitary tear had been - before lightly kissing Weiss' forehead. Only then did she hop over to the closet door and throw it open, stepping inside with a gasp.

"Woah - this is _huge_!"

The reaction succeeded in making Weiss chuckle lightly, uprooting her feet from the floor and walking over to watch Ruby roving around inside. Weiss had always loved this closet - it was big enough to hold all of her clothes with Ruby's in between. Plenty of red and white...her favorite color combination.

"Are some of these are mine?" Ruby asked, pulling out a shirt that was most definitely _not_ hers.

"Yes, many of them are yours."

"Oh, this looks nice," Ruby muttered while finding another random article of clothing - holding it out in front of her before sticking it back on the rack. "And this too -"

Pulling out another outfit, Ruby looked at it and grinned.

"This is like shopping in a store that knows me super well!" she exclaimed. "I really like this! Can I have it?"

"Of course," Weiss answered, smiling at how happy Ruby was right now. "It's yours, after all. Take what you want."

Biting her lip in thought, Ruby turned and hung the outfit back up.

"I'll come back and get it later," she said shyly, making Weiss' heart skip a beat in surprise.

Would Ruby come back? As in...she expected to come back to this house in the future?

Leaving the closet behind, Ruby walked over to the window next and looked outside.

"Is that the backyard?" she asked, pointing to the grass below.

"It is. Come on; we can go see it."

As they left their old bedroom behind, Weiss couldn't help the soft sigh of relief that slipped out when the door clicked shut behind them. That had been difficult, but not as paralyzingly impossible as she'd once expected it to be. Of course, she wasn't alone. Ruby was here with her - helping her through every room. Without Ruby...none of this would happen.

"Look at this!" Ruby exclaimed while jumping onto the back patio, spreading her arms wide towards the lawn stretching in front of them. "It's _huge_! It would take Blake _forever_ to push me to those trees back there!"

Smiling, Weiss followed Ruby to the railing of the porch and rested her arms on the wood. The yard was one of the reasons Ruby wanted this house to begin with. It was nearly a full acre of flat land, with a couple of giant oak trees sprinkled here and there before reaching a section of woods in the distance.

Seeing it in such pristine condition - with stunningly green grass stretching from the porch to the trees - was a bit painful. Gone was the trail of packed dirt Ruby had pounded into it while running around it like a racetrack. Now it looked like any other yard, not one that hosted individual track meets for one of the fastest girls in Remnant.

"We hardly ever sparred in the yard though," Weiss commented, feeling an amused smile appear when Ruby turned to her in shock.

"We didn't? Why not? It's perfect! Look how big it is! And flat!"

"It is," Weiss agreed before gesturing Ruby back into the house. "Follow me."

"There's more?"

The disbelief made Weiss smile while heading back through the door with Ruby on her heels. It wouldn't be a true Schnee household if it didn't hide a secret. Thankfully, this one was more of a pleasant surprise than a skeleton in the closet.

"Only the best part of the house," she replied, stopping in front of a locked door located right off the entryway. To the uninitiated, it might look like a storage closet, but that wouldn't explain why it required a palm print to unlock it.

Ruby watched with wide eyes while Weiss placed her hand on the scanner and waited for the door to click open with an audible chime of approval. Behind the door was nothing but a long staircase with a smoothly-polished handrail - no bumps. Ruby had expressly requested no bumps, although Weiss had only figured out later that the reason was so she could slide down the banister to the level below.

"Is it a dungeon?" Ruby asked in a hushed whisper of excitement, making Weiss laugh as she descended towards the basement of the home.

Today, Ruby walked too, and when they reached the bottom - some three floors below ground - they found themselves in a large, open room. If the living area was small, the area hidden underneath the sprawling lawn was anything but. The moment they stepped into the room, the lights clicked on in rapid succession, illuminating the space in white light. The floor was made of the same white panels as Beacon's arena. The walls and ceiling were the same white panels - stretching as far as they could see.

"No. Way."

Jaw dropped in disbelief, Ruby looked as if she might stay rooted to the floor forever if Weiss hadn't walked further into the room. Ruby mindlessly followed before snapping out of her trance to look at the panel that stood in front of them - rising out of the floor with a large touchscreen stationed on the top.

When Ruby reached out and tapped the top of it, the screen sprang to life and turned a shade of ruby red that Ruby had picked out herself. The computer system then loaded all of Ruby's saved environments onto the screen - quite a long list at that.

"State of the art," Weiss commented proudly. "Well, it was. It could probably use a few updates by now..."

"But these things cost a _fortune_!"

"They are quite expensive," Weiss agreed with a laugh. "But completely worth it."

When it came to decorating the rest of the house, Ruby had been very reasonable. But when it was time to design the combat room...well, Weiss had quickly learned the true meaning of the phrase 'no expense spared.'

With her jaw still dropped in surprise, Ruby turned and noticed the locker slots built into the wall behind them. Two of the spaces were currently empty, but the other two were filled with decorated lockers. Weiss' had a rather simple and clean white snowflake near the top. Ruby's was covered in a swirl of red roses, complete with stems and shedding petals.

"Are these -?"

"Yes, this is where we kept our weapons. In lockers so they could always be called to us, but down here where we could easily use them for training."

"And the empty ones?" Ruby asked, pointing to the two empty spaces. "Yang and Blake?"

"Yes. We held team practices down here."

"Then...where are their lockers now?"

The question made Weiss laugh and shake her head.

"You know, I've been wondering the same thing. I honestly don't know what they did with them."

Quickly forgetting the lockers, Ruby's full attention returned to the room's 'brain' - the control panel that operated every nook and cranny of this space.

"So you can create a Grimm right now?"

"Absolutely."

Walking over to the panel, Weiss tapped through several menus before finding the right options. Pressing a few more buttons, she looked up when a stationary Beowolf appeared in front of them - making Ruby gasp.

"Oh my god. That's so cool! He's frozen!" Unafraid, Ruby rushed over to the Grimm statue and poked it in the arm.

"You can manipulate their characteristics, like their ferocity. Or size…" " Weiss explained, searching through more menus. Since she hadn't used the system in quite some time, it took her longer than usual to find what she was looking for. But eventually, she stumbled across the right options.

Dragging a slider down, the Beowolf shrank until it was nothing over two feet tall. Ruby squealed in delight.

"So cute!" she said, crouching down to look at him.

"We can also make them bigger." The Beowolf grew until it towered over their heads, and Ruby had to crane her neck to look up at it.

"Uh...I think I liked it better when he was small."

Grinning at the response, Weiss made the creature tiny again. In the past, they might have played around with the system quite a bit. Hordes of tiny but very powerful Beowolves. One giant Beowolf who was so fast he was nearly impossible to catch. The options were both endless and entertaining.

"We created quite a few maps and scenarios. Well, you created most of them," Weiss explained while launching one of Ruby's favorite courses. A trail appeared on the ground in front of them then, disappearing into a forest of newly-materialized trees.

"What did we use this for?" Ruby asked, stepping onto the marked path.

"You used it for racing."

"Racing? Who did I race?"

The question made Weiss smile.

"Yourself, of course."

Eyes wide, Ruby looked between the trail and Weiss several times.

"That's my favorite kind of race!"

"Why don't you try it out?" Weiss suggested. "The system will start timing you as soon as you hit the treeline."

"Yes! Oh, but are there like...Grimm in there?"

"Not this one - it's non-combat. You used them to work on your agility and semblance."

"Then yes! I totally wanna do this!"

Hopping up and down while swinging her arms back and forth, Ruby suddenly shot off towards the woods at full speed. After Ruby disappeared into the trees, Weiss watched the timer on the screen while waiting for the girl to return. This was one of the shorter tracks, so it shouldn't take too long...

A whirlwind of wonderfully fragrant air announced Ruby's impending arrival, with the huntress herself skidding to a stop beside Weiss an instant later.

"Whoo! That was awesome! It's all twisty and turn-y in there! But how'd I do?" Ruby looked over Weiss' shoulder at the screen, which flashed the time for them to see. "That's fast, right?"

"I'm not sure...but we can look at your records." Moving forward, Weiss tapped a button that displayed Ruby's fastest logged times - and Ruby's eyes immediately boggled.

"What?!" she shrieked in surprise. "How'd I go so fast?"

"I have no idea," Weiss replied with a chuckle.

"Oh! I must've memorized the layout -" Before Ruby could go any further with that train of thought, Weiss shook her head.

"That would be nearly impossible to do. You set it up to randomly generate each time. These records aren't for this exact course, but for ones that are identical in length, difficulty, and the number of turns or obstacles."

Staring at Weiss in open-mouthed surprise, Ruby didn't have an immediate response to that information.

"So you're telling me…" she finally said. "That if I run it again right now...it'll be completely different?"

"Yes. Don't believe me?"

When Weiss gestured towards the entrance of the maze, Ruby grinned.

"I totally believe you, but I still wanna try it out!" she said before blasting off.

Watching a trail of petals disappear into the trees, Weiss couldn't help but feel infinitely more relaxed than she had when they'd toured the upstairs. She'd forgotten how much fun it was to use the combat room with Ruby. Even though they'd run through thousands of simulations together, they somehow found a way to try new things.

When Ruby soared back from the woods, the screen flashed at them - a good sign.

"Looks like you made it into the top ten," Weiss remarked with a smile. "Congratulations!"

"Ninth though?" Hands on her hips and breathing a bit heavy, Ruby looked at the screen in dismay.

"You intentionally made it difficult on yourself," Weiss explained with a light laugh at Ruby's consternation.

"I wanna try one more time!" Ruby finally said, hopping a few paces away and putting one hand on the ground like a sprinter. "Count me down!"

"Alright. Three...two...one…"

No sooner had Weiss' finger tapped the screen did the environment shimmer into a new course and Ruby disappeared with an audible pop. The next second a red blur shot past Weiss and a hit the wall behind her with a loud _thud_. Spinning around in surprise, she found Ruby on the ground - upside down and leaning against the wall.

"Ruby! Are you alright?" Rushing over in concern, Weiss knelt by Ruby's side, but Ruby was already standing up.

"Uh...yup!" she replied, popping to her feet before slouching and rubbing the back of her head. "What was my time?" Forgetting any potential injury, she rushed over to screen - which now flashed the number three. As in three seconds.

"Yes!" Ruby cried out, pumping a fist in the air with a hop of success. "Take _that_ , past me!"

"Wow. That's...how did you do that?" Weiss asked, staring at the number while it slid into place at the top of the leaderboard. Not having an answer, Ruby shrugged, and Weiss shook her head in disbelief. Just when she thought Ruby had maxed out her power... "I think you officially broke your own system."

"Naw." Squinting at the menus, Ruby pushed several buttons and looked very much like she knew exactly what she was doing. "I can only hold that speed for so long. I just didn't make these long enough! If they're longer, I'd have to use my regular speed for at least part of it…"

Weiss watched Ruby fiddle with the system for several seconds before opening the small cabinet built into the base and pulling out what looked like an oversized scroll.

"Here," she said, offering it to Ruby. "Take this with you. You can design new maps with it."

"Really?" Ruby asked, taking the tablet and turning it around to look at it. "That's so cool!"

"And feel free to come over and use the room whenever you want," Weiss added. "I'll make sure it's fully upgraded soon."

"You'll let me? Wow, imagine how good I'd be if I had _this_ to train with."

When the comment made Weiss laugh, Ruby looked at her in confusion - confirming something that Weiss had vaguely suspected ever since that first hunt in the forest. Ruby had no idea how good she was.

"You're already _extremely_ good, Ruby. You don't need any of this to be."

When Weiss waved towards the expensive simulation technology, Ruby shrugged in self-doubt.

"You think so?"

" _Yes_ ," Weiss answered emphatically, hoping Ruby would see even a fraction of her capability. "How many teams did you see reach round five at The Invite? Three? Four? It's not easy to do, but you got us there without any team training."

Biting her lip, Ruby thought about that for a moment before finding a smile and shrugging again. "I just remember all the times Blake and Yang kicked my butt. It doesn't feel like that long ago!"

"And let me guess...they haven't been clamoring to spar with you recently, have they?"

"Uh, no, but we've been busy. And they didn't want to get too worn out before The Invite."

Smirking at the blatantly see-through excuses, Weiss shook her head. "It sounds like they might be avoiding a 'butt kicking' of their own..."

"Now you're just flattering me!"

"I don't flatter - I state facts," Weiss teased while turning towards the only other door located off of the arena floor. "But there's one more room I need to show you."

"What else could there possibly be? This is already the best house ever!"

If Ruby already thought that this was the best house ever, then the next room would only be icing on the cake. After Weiss swung the door open, Ruby stepped inside and gasped.

"What house of yours would be complete without a workshop?" Weiss asked, smiling at the expression of pure awe on Ruby's face.

" _This_ was my workshop?"

"Yes. This was your space. I have no idea what any of these machines or tools do though, so please don't ask me."

"That's a Dust recirculator!" Ruby called out, racing over to what Weiss saw as a random piece of metal equipment. "And this is an Aura generator. It mimics an aura for testing!"

Running her hands over each machine like it was made of gold, Ruby probably couldn't be more starstruck than this moment - as she looked at her own contraptions.

"Wow. I was fancy!" she finally summarized with a beaming smile that Weiss returned.

"Fancy and extremely skilled."

Watching Ruby rest both hands on top of the workbench and gaze around, Weiss felt a wave of déjà vu sweep over her. How many times had she seen Ruby just like this - brow crinkled in thought while picking out the next project she wanted to work on?

Noticing the time on the clock on the far wall, Weiss couldn't believe how quickly the day had slipped away from them.

"I should probably take you home," she said regretfully. "Yang is probably missing you."

Biting her lip, Ruby cast one more a glance around the workshop before turning back at Weiss. "It's funny though because _this_ used to be my home. So _technically_ I'm already home!"

Technically, they were both home.

Shaking her head when Ruby stepped around the workbench to join her, Weiss offered Ruby her hand as they made their way back upstairs.

"For some reason, I doubt Yang would agree with that argument," she remarked as they walked upstairs.

"But she doesn't _have_ to agree with me. I get to pick where I call home, right?"

"Sometimes you don't get to choose," Weiss replied, her breathing a bit elevated from their rapid ascent of the stairs. "Sometimes a home just...springs into being."

"Like fairies build it or something?" Ruby joked, making Weiss laugh and shake her head as they reached the main level of the house and headed to the front door.

"Not quite. More like your heart just decides that it's at home, and there's nothing you can do but accept it. That's what happened to me."

"Would you ever move back here?" Ruby asked as they stepped outside - where the sun was no longer high in the sky, but rapidly sinking below the horizon.

"Not without you."

The honest reply slipped out without warning. Weiss cringed at the implication behind the words, but Ruby only made a thoughtful sound before settling into the car with one last glance towards their past home.

Grateful that Ruby wasn't making a big deal over the statement, Weiss walked to the other side of the vehicle and quickly got inside.

"I hope that wasn't too much…" she said while whisking them away from their past, her relief growing when the house faded from view.

"No! Definitely not. I mean, I might as well smush as much stuff into my brain as I can, right?"

Weiss didn't know if that was the best way to operate, but if Ruby was amenable to it...then that would have to work.

"Oh wait! I recognize where we are!" Suddenly much more alert, Ruby sat straight up in the seat and watched the streets pass them by. "Yeah, we're almost there!"

"So your sense of direction has drastically improved," Weiss teased. Laughing, Ruby sat back and stared outside for the next few minutes until the now-familiar little house in the middle of the street pulled into view.

"We're not that far," Ruby commented to herself when they arrived.

"Only a few minutes away."

"Huh…" Sitting back in her seat, Ruby stared out the window at the house but made no motion to get out. Weiss didn't want Ruby to leave either, but what was the other option? She'd already monopolized Ruby's time for the past day. She wanted more, but she also knew that she was greedy.

"Thank you," Ruby suddenly said, turning towards Weiss with a bright smile. "For...explaining things to me. And showing me our house."

Ruby's use of the word 'our' made Weiss' heart do a flip of joy. It was _their_ home. Ownership had nothing to do with who paid for it and everything to do with the time they'd spent filling it with good memories.

"You're welcome," Weiss replied with a nod. "Thank you for being so understanding. I suppose...you have a great deal to think about."

Letting out a small huff, Ruby smiled.

"You can say that again!"

"Let me know if you have any more questions. I'm more than happy to try to explain my decisions…"

"You're not gonna apologize again, are you?"

"I don't think I can ever apologize enough -"

"Yeah, you can! And you already have. Apologies - past, present, and future - accepted!"

The way Ruby grinned made Weiss think it was that simple. As if the burden of guilt she'd harbored all this time...all she'd needed to rid herself of that weight was Ruby's forgiveness.

"Well...I plan on spending the rest of my life making up for my mistakes," she added anyway.

"At least you're not a flight risk!" Ruby said, chuckling at her joke before growing more serious. "So, uh...maybe you can come over tomorrow? We can hang out?"

It might sound like a mundane invitation, but it signified so much more than the simple words implied. Ruby knew about Weiss' mistakes - her past, her lies, her cowardice - yet still wanted her company. As if none of that mattered as much as she thought it did...

"I'd love to 'hang out,'" she answered before the two of them smiled at each other for what felt like a long time. Eventually, Ruby pushed open the door and hopped outside.

"Can't wait!" she quipped before waving and jogging up to the front stoop. Quickly unlocking the door, she raced through before pulling it closed behind her - but not without sending Weiss one last wave.

For several minutes, Weiss sat there and stared at the door Ruby had just disappeared through - too stunned to move.

The events of the past few weeks were difficult to process when she thought of them as a whole. At the edge of her memory, she could still feel the despondency and defeat that had eaten away at her morale. It was only the depths of despair that drove her back to Vale - one last ditch effort to do the right thing before something catastrophic happened.

Then Ruby happened.

Ruby was like a ray of sunshine - a beacon of hope that Weiss might find some shred of forgiveness for her wrongs. And within Ruby's glow of cheerfulness and endless optimism, Weiss felt her heart warming and her vitality returning.

There were still questions that needed to be answered, but if she had the strength to make it through a day like today...she might just make it through whatever the future threw at her.


	38. Chapter 38

The front door was only closed for a second before Yang bounded into the room.

"There you are! Thought we were gonna have to put out a missing person's report on you!" she said, walking over to tap Ruby 'lightly' on the shoulder in greeting. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah," Ruby replied while kicking off her shoes, still feeling...something. "It was fun. She took me to our old house."

Whatever answer Yang had expected, it wasn't that one.

"She... _what_?"

"Yeah. We went to our old house," Ruby repeated. It was still so strange to think about. That's where she used to live. That's where _they_ used to live. She'd never even wondered where she'd been living! As far as her fractured timeline was concerned, she went straight from Beacon to this house with Yang and Blake. Way to _not_ fill in the dots, Ruby Rose.

"And she told me a bunch of stuff," she continued, touching the ring around her neck - which she now knew the true meaning of. "Apparently we were a _lot_ more than just friends."

 _You were my first real friend, and I fell in love with you._

Weiss loved her. Loved.

It was such a big word, but hearing it made Ruby feel like a million Lien.

Except...Weiss didn't say that she was _in love_ with Ruby, only that she _had_ loved her. And Ruby hadn't asked for clarification! Was this love still ongoing? Or was it a thing of the past?

Apparently, Ruby needed to ask more questions. Because she _definitely_ had strong feelings for Weiss that would make more sense if they were love. It would also explain why their friendship had taken off like a rocket ship. Maybe subconsciously she remembered? Maybe there were lingering emotions that hadn't been knocked out of her head? Or maybe Weiss was just so amazing that Ruby fell for her twice?

It was probably that last one.

"Are you doing ok?" Yang asked, looking unnerved by Ruby's momentary silence. The question brought her back to this moment, where she was still confused and happy and every emotion in between.

"I think so, yeah," she answered, trying to be as honest as possible. "It's, uh, it's been a lot."

Smiling at the response, Yang set one warm hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"When it rains, it pours, huh?"

"You can say that again," Ruby muttered while shaking the never-ending thoughts around in her head.

Life was so much simpler last week.

Although, not _really_. Last week, Ruby was mega-confused by her rapidly-growing feelings for Yang's friend from school who randomly showed up one night and ate dinner with them. _Now_ she was confused by her even more intense feelings for Yang's friend from school who randomly showed up one night and also happened to be Ruby's partner from Beacon - oh, and girlfriend by the way - that she had absolutely no memories of.

Just _thinking_ it was a mouthful.

But she couldn't feel too sorry for herself because she asked for this. She wanted to go to Beacon. She wanted to learn about her past. Well, there ya go. Wish granted!

Also, she kissed Weiss. Twice! So yeah, not much to feel sorry about there.

Twice!

"Are you going to be ok with all this?" Yang asked, still looking concerned. "Maybe we shouldn't tell you everything at once…it's just so much. Between Weiss and Beacon -"

Before Yang could go all 'we have plenty of time,' 'take it slow,' and yadda yadda, Ruby shook her head.

"I'm ok, Yang. Sure, it's weird and confusing, but I'll sort it out eventually. I have confidence in my brain! We've made it this far together - I think we can get through another period of super confusion."

In the face of Ruby's smile, Yang only looked partially convinced - most likely thinking that Ruby shouldn't have any sort of confidence in her brain. Sure, it was prone to losing memories, but it could do some cool stuff too! Like figure out solutions to super complex situations where there didn't seem to be any correct answer. At least, she _hoped_ her brain was smart enough to do that, because that's kind of what she needed it to do right now.

"Ok…" Yang replied slowly. "But let me know if you're not feeling down with it anymore."

"I will. Promise!"

The promise worked immediately - and Yang finally relaxed into an easygoing smile.

"And how 'bout tomorrow we look at some hunts and pick one? You've proven you're ready to go on another!"

Ruby didn't need any cheering up, but _that_ sent her spirits into super orbit!

"Really?" she asked, her excitement returning full force. "I get to pick? Like anything I want? Can Weiss come?"

"Yes and yes and yes - if you want to invite her."

"Of course I do!"

The answer made Yang particularly happy as she grinned and said, "Then Weiss will come along too. It'll be fun - getting the gang back together!" With one clap on Ruby's shoulder, Yang walked into the kitchen while Ruby remained in the entryway.

Getting the gang back together - a team hunt! _Technically,_ they already went on a hunt together, but that was back when Ruby hadn't known who Weiss was. This time, they'd head out as teammates and partners. Maybe more, but that was still...a bit up in the air.

Heading to her room, Ruby felt a silly grin appear when she thought about what happened last night. They'd kissed. The two of them had totally kissed. It was so grown up!

Pausing near the hallway, Ruby turned back to her sister - who filled up a glass of water at the sink before draining half of it in one go.

Did she want to tell Yang? It was going to open up the door for a thousand years of teasing, but...Yang was her sister! They told each other everything! Almost everything.

And maybe she felt like bragging a bit - because she'd kissed Weiss.

"Oh and...I kinda took your advice," she said shyly, watching Yang look briefly confused before her jaw dropped open in surprise.

"No way. Did you?"

The memory was already making Ruby blush, but she nodded while Yang set her glass down on the counter.

"I did."

"Look at you!" Yang cried out, rushing over to hug Ruby and lift her feet right off the ground. "My little sister - all grown up and kissin' girls!"

"Yangggg!"

Year one of teasing...commencing now. It's going to be a long millennium, folks!

Finally setting Ruby down, Yang held her out at arm's length and gave her a little shake.

"So? How was it?"

It was seemed so simple - it was _just_ a kiss. Ruby had seen Yang and Blake kiss about a million times in the past year. That was what, like three thousand a day? That seemed about right. Seriously, they probably spent more time kissing than anything else.

But after experiencing it for herself, with someone she had _so many_ feelings for...

"It was amazing…" she answered with a sigh. Was there a word that was better than amazing? If so, it was that.

Yang's grin was hugeeee. Like she just tried to eat a big piece of watermelon but failed and got it stuck in her mouth instead.

"How did it happen? Who initiated? Was it you? Did you catch her off guard?"

"Yang!"

Each question only succeeded in making Ruby blush more and more profusely.

"What? You didn't think you could drop that bomb and not give me any details, did you?" Reaching out, Yang playfully tickled Ruby's sides. "You gotta tell me how it happened!"

"You wouldn't tell me about your and Blake's first kiss!" Ruby whined while squirming away.

"Sure I would! I set up a whole elaborate thing in the forest and asked her out. She said yes, _finally_ , and then she kissed me. More like we kissed each other. It was like this mutual longing, ya know? We kissed for so long...because I'd _wanted_ to kiss her for so long. It actually got a little hot and heavy - she had her hand -"

"Stop!" Ruby cried out, covering her ears. "I get the picture!"

Dang. Her bluff had been called on that one, big time. Yang knew it too - that's why she was laughing.

"You wanted details - I gave you details. Now tell me what happened!"

Why had Ruby wanted to tell her sister again?

"I...um, we were talking…" she began with her cheeks basically on fire. Literally, they probably couldn't get any hotter while she tried to describe the scene from last night. Coughing into one hand, she forced the words out as fast as possible. "She was telling me about the past - how we'd grown close and stuff at school - and then I...I just kinda - asked if I could..."

"You asked? Awww, you're so chivalrous!" Again, Yang wrapped Ruby in a hug and lifted her off the ground. "Then you kissed? What kind of kiss?"

Thank all the lucky stars in heaven that Blake walked into the room at that moment, and Yang spun around in excitement.

"Blake! You'll never guess what happened between Ruby and Weiss!"

"Yangggg!" Ruby whined again, somehow finding a deeper shade of red when Blake smiled in amusement.

"I heard," she replied calmly before giving Ruby a small head tilt of acknowledgment. "Congratulations. I'm glad you two finally talked things out."

"Thanks, Blake!"

There was a moment of silence while Yang stared at Blake with an expectant expression, waiting and waiting for something to happen before finally exclaiming, "That's it? Come on, Blake! This is a huge deal! Show some emotion!"

"What? I gave her a meaningful congratulations and smiled."

When Yang looked at Ruby in utter disbelief, Ruby shrugged.

"She _did_ smile."

"A smile? Ok -" Reaching out, Yang snatched Blake in her arms before Blake had the chance to move away. Firmly caught in the vice grip, Blake had no chance of escaping Yang's fingers as they tickled up and down her sides.

Now it was Ruby's turn to watch in amusement as Blake - the ninja warrior who could stare at something without blinking for about an hour - immediately broke and started giggling and squirming in Yang's arms.

"How 'bout some real happiness, Blake?" Yang teased while drawing out another round of girlish laughter. "Ruby kissed Weiss! Isn't that a huge deal? It's a huge deal, right?"

Maybe Blake wanted to respond to Yang's questions, but right now she was too busy giggling to do much else.

"See? You sound so happy! So let's hear some happiness, huh?"

Finally ending the tickle war (which Blake firmly lost), Yang received a glare that would've turned Ruby into stone. But, even with the glare, Blake let Yang keep hold of her, arms wrapped around her waist. Blake's cheeks were red from all the laughing, but she turned back to Ruby and managed a normal expression.

"Getting tickled sucks, doesn't it?" Ruby joked. She knew from personal experience. And Yang was so strong, she was impossible to get away from!

"She'll get what's coming to her," Blake muttered under her breath before smiling. "But I'm very, _very_ happy for you."

"Thanks, Blake! I don't think you could be any happier, so please don't try," Ruby replied with a laugh.

"Now hug!" Yang ordered, nudging Blake forward. Blake faked a sigh of exasperation before walking over and pulling Ruby into a hug.

"I _am_ happy for you," Blake whispered in Ruby's ear before stepping away with another smile.

" _That_ was better!" Yang interrupted with a grin, kissing Blake's cheek before focusing on Ruby. "So are you two like an item now? Getting back together? Are you gonna go out on dates? Makeout during movies?"

"Uh…"

How was Ruby supposed to answer those questions? She didn't know what was going to happen next!

"They haven't gotten that far," Blake answered, her eyes carefully reading Ruby's reaction. "There's still more talking to do, isn't there?"

"Yeah," Ruby quickly agreed. "More talking."

"Weiss and her talking," Yang muttered. "She always wants to talk something out, doesn't she? Me, I'm a doer. Just do it! That's what I say."

"Really?" Blake asked with one perfectly-arched eyebrow of disbelief. "That's funny...because whenever we ask you to organize your shoes, there's a lot more talking than doing that happens."

"Ahhh...that's a funny story. You see, I was _totally_ gonna do that the other day, but then something really important happened - a little something called _The_ _Beacon Invite_? And then the whole thing with Ruby and Weiss..."

Shaking her head, Blake laughed while Yang tried to talk her way out of the task she would never, ever do.

"And I would do it _tonight_ , but it's already kinda late, don't you think? I mean, that's a half-day project easy. And…" Yang's voice trailed off when Ruby also shook her head at the list of excuses.

Finally, Yang gave up and laughed.

"Maybe I'm a talker too," she admitted before shrugging and scooping Blake right off the ground to hold in her arms. "But can I carry you around for a little bit? That's doing something, right? You're so cute!"

Blake sighed but wrapped both arms around Yang's neck.

"Somehow you always talk yourself out of trouble, but one of these days I _will_ get you back for the tickling," Blake grumbled. If it was a threat, it only succeeded in making Yang laugh.

"I know you will. And I can't wait. Really. Oh!" Pausing, Yang turned back to Ruby. "There's leftovers in the fridge for you. And don't think I've forgotten my other questions - you'll tell me eventually! Or Weiss will."

"What?" Ruby asked, surprised by that last sentence. "Would she really tell you?"

Again, Yang laughed and shifted Blake easily in her arms. "You'd be surprised how much she'll talk about you. I nearly had to have my ears amputated the first time."

After staring at Yang, Ruby looked at Blake for confirmation - which she received in a few nods.

"Well maybe this time she'll be successful!" Ruby teased back.

Chuckling, Yang headed towards her room with Blake still held in her arms.

"I doubt you've made it _that_ far yet," her sister commented before disappearing down the hall.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Receiving no response to the question, Ruby let it slide and grabbed the leftovers from the fridge instead. Salmon with some veggies - which meant Blake had been in charge of dinner again. At least she found lots of different ways to season the salmon. Otherwise, Ruby would be sick of it by now.

Tossing the food onto a plate and into the microwave, she stared off into space while waiting for it to heat up.

She'd always thought that Yang and Blake's relationship was kind of weird. They were both pretty quirky people, right? But Ruby wouldn't mind tickling Weiss. Or teasing her. Or carrying her around the house.

Although, Ruby didn't know if she was strong enough to do that. She should work out more just in case the opportunity ever presented itself! She knew she could lift Weiss off the ground _briefly_ , but that wasn't the same as _holding_ her…

Hearing a soft _ding_ announcing that her food was ready, she quickly pulled it out and sat down at the table to eat. The quiet in the kitchen gave her plenty of silence to think in. One guess who she was thinking about!

She'd eaten at this table about a hundred times before, but this time...she missed Weiss. They hadn't even been apart for that long, but Ruby could almost _feel_ Weiss' absence. They'd just spent a ton of time together, but it hadn't been enough. Ruby still had loads and loads of questions she wanted to ask!

Like how did Weiss feel about salmon? Did she like it?

Briefly ignoring her food while pulling her scroll from her pocket, Ruby decided that she should ask. What was she waiting for? ' _Do you like salmon?_ ' was a simple enough question.

' _Did Blake make it?_ '

Grinning at the response, Ruby typed a quick ' _yes._ '

' _Then yes._ '

It was strange to realize that Weiss actually knew Blake better than Ruby did. They'd known each other for _years_. Meanwhile, Ruby had only known Blake for like a year and Weiss for...a lot less than a year. But at one point in time, Ruby had known them both really well. And, theoretically, she'd known Weiss _super_ well.

Super well as in...had she known everything there was to know? Had she been a walking Weiss encyclopedia? Could she rattle of Weiss' likes and dislikes like she could name weaknesses in different species of Grimm?

She'd never known anyone that well before. Except for Yang, but Yang was her sister! She'd been forced to spend years and years learning Yang's habits.

But with Weiss...Ruby didn't _have_ to learn everything, but she _wanted_ to. She wanted to know everything she used to know and then some. She wanted to know Weiss better than anyone else in the world. That's right, better than _anyone_ else in the entire world.

It might take a long time, but she could be really determined when she wanted to be. And the best way to set out achieving this new goal was to ask questions. She could start doing that right now! Operation Know Weiss Better Than Anyone - AKA OKWBTA - begins now.

Her favorite ice cream flavor was blueberry frozen yogurt - which wasn't _technically_ ice cream, but Ruby let the answer slide.

Her favorite color was red - which just so happened to be Ruby's favorite color too! Although a particular shade of ice blue was starting to grow on her...

Her favorite breakfast food was a grapefruit - so at least there was _someone_ in the world willing to eat it! Otherwise, there'd be an oversupply of grapefruits.

It took Ruby longer than usual to finish dinner because of all the random questions she was sending to Weiss - who was such a good sport about it! She never asked why Ruby wanted to know, she just answered.

By the time Ruby finished eating, cleaned her dishes, and walked into her room, she felt like she knew Weiss better than before. And _that_ was a pretty fantastic feeling.

Dropping her bag and scroll onto her bed, she flopped down on the covers and sighed. It had been a long day. Who would've thought that learning about yourself could be so exhausting?

When Weiss admitted being tired too, Ruby said 'goodnight' and set her scroll on her nightstand before lying down and staring at the ceiling.

The past few days her brain had flipped between feeling like it wanted to explode or melt at any second. Right now, it was at the melting point.

There were just _so_ many thoughts burning through her mind - memories of The Invite, everything Weiss had said. Not just about the two of them, but about Beacon, the classes they'd taken, the training they'd done, the teams they'd been friends with - people and places and lessons Ruby didn't remember.

As her brain gained steam like a charged locomotive, she gave up on the idea of trying to sleep and sat up in bed. She was tired but too wired to sleep - how was that for irony?

After tapping her fingers on her knee for several moments while trying to figure out what she wanted to do, she suddenly remembered the device Weiss had given her to play with. Sensing the beginning of a brilliant idea that would occupy her sleepless night, Ruby pulled it out of her bag and set it across her lap.

It was like an oversized scroll, but with only one program. Clicking the icon, Ruby watched the device load some rather intense menus. An empty, white square took up a majority of the screen, while side menus offered her _way_ too many options to choose from.

It was like going to an ice cream shop that had a thousand different flavors and just as many toppings. Oh, and the flavors could be swirled together, so there were...an indeterminable amount of combinations that could be made. _Plus_ they had flavored whipped cream. How cool would that be? More places should have flavored whipped cream...she'd definitely order chocolate whipped cream on top of vanilla ice cream. Or vanilla whipped cream on top of chocolate ice cream.

Right! But the scroll/device thingy. Fortunately, most of the defaults were already set up, so it didn't take very long for her to get a good grasp of how to use it. Add stuff to the white space - simple enough!

The terrain was hers to alter. She could build hills and ponds and mounta - oh, she could only make partial mountains because the physical room was only so tall. That was kind of a bummer...but! If she clustered some 'tall' trees near the base and stretched the upper branches to crowd towards the peak, she could create the _illusion_ that the mountain continued much higher than it did. Ha. Take that physics. Or logistics. Or...whatever. Take that, program. She'd outsmarted its limitations!

With her pseudo-mountain created, she found a tool that let her dig into the rock and create caves. Again, space was limited, but she dug out a series of caves that stretched nearly the entire base of the mountain before continuing upward through some pretty claustrophobic tunnels. By the time she finished, she'd added so many caves the mountain was basically swiss cheese on the inside! Structurally, a small earthquake would collapse the entire thing in on itself, but as long as no bombs went off in the area, it should be fine.

In the space she had left around the base of the mountain, she added trees, bushes, random rocks, and other 'foresty' stuff. There were about a million different species of trees she could choose from, but she had no clue which ones grew in this type of environment, so she decided randomly.

It took her forever, but by the time she finished, it looked like a real forest! Except some smart person would probably say something like 'this species of tree doesn't belong here.' Spoilsports. _Regular_ people would think it was a real forest!

...but regular people wouldn't be out in the forest, huntsmen would be. And they wouldn't be able to fight here. Well, they could, but that'd really suck because of the dense foliage. First, they'd need to knock down trees to make space for combat. Luckily, they had Grand Overseer Ruby looking out for them!

Swiping her finger in a small circle, she cut down the trees to make a space for a fight. Tada! Easy peasy. And what were they going to fight? Grimm, of course!

The _best_ menu let her add Grimm 'encounters.' That word made it sound a lot less scary than a monster appearing out of nowhere and trying to eat you. An 'encounter' was what little kids experienced at the zoo with the llamas or goats. There were no 'encounters' with Grimm at any zoos. Although, if there were, she and Yang probably would've tried to go every weekend when they were little...

"This is so cool," she muttered to herself while placing a full-size Death Stalker in the middle of the clearing she'd just built. Once the Grimm was set, she could choose the exact time it spawned, or make it more fun and leave it set to random. Random was always best. Who wanted to be prepared for a Grimm attack?

...most people did. But that wasn't the point of a combat room!

Satisfied with what she'd created, she cleared the entire map and started from scratch. This time a desert map. Sand dunes!

It only took her a few minutes to figure out that the desert was boring. Sand, sand, and more sand. It got old real quick! So she shrunk the sand, surrounded it with water, and made an island. _Now_ it was a tropical paradise. Inhabited by Grimm, but nothing was perfect.

She could have Grimm spawn in the water! Wait, could they even swim?

This map she decided to save. She wanted to fight against the creepy water Grimm on a little island with pretty palm trees. It'd be like going on a vacation, but with Grimm!

Clicking the save button, she named the map 'Grimm Isle' and pressed save. Next, the program took her to a screen with all the other saved maps - and there were _a lot_ of them.

Curious, she scrolled through the list to see what else was there. What had past Ruby Rose created with this thing?

Apparently, a ton of really, really cool maps - at least, she guessed they were cool by the titles. Grimm Theater. Under the Grimm-y Sun. Boarba-what? Random Random Random. Where the Grimm At?

She wanted to try them all!

Scrolling back to the top of the list, she noticed two other tabs titled 'Recent Simulations' and 'Saved Simulations.' Clicking on one to see what they were, she felt her jaw drop open.

There were _videos_!

The room must have cameras that recorded the action and saved it to these files! It made sense - if they recorded battles, the videos could be used to hone specific skills. But that meant that these were videos of _her_. Her and Weiss. Before she got hurt.

Did Weiss know these were on here? She had to, right? It was her combat room too!

But...Weiss hadn't mentioned anything about any videos when she gave Ruby this device-thing. And that reallyyyy seemed like something Weiss would bring up, so Ruby was prepared to find them.

She shouldn't watch them. Well, she _could_...but she shouldn't.

They were _right there_ though, literally at her fingertips! Staring at the top entry, she knew that all she had to do was tap it with one little finger and it would start playing. One itty, bitty, little tap - or even just an accidental bump Like maybe a sneeze or something made her hand unexpectedly jump forward a few millimeters -

Two knocks on the door nearly gave her a heart attack as she dropped the device face down on the bed beside her. "Come in!" she called out while pulling the covers over top of it. Her door opened a second later, and Yang poked her head in.

"Hey, just came to say goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Ruby said, way too cheerfully. Yang didn't leave though. Instead, she stepped through the door and walked over.

"And I thought I should give this back to you."

When Yang extended a small square of paper towards Ruby, she felt her curiosity increase as she reached out to take it.

"Uh, thanks?" she said, turning the paper around so she could see it - and instantly wishing she'd expressed more gratitude.

It wasn't just a random piece of paper. It was a slightly crumpled photograph of her and Weiss. It must've been taken a while ago because they were much younger...and laughing about something.

"That's from our first year," Yang explained while Ruby stared at the treasure in her hands. "I guess you carried it with you, cuz I found it pinned inside your gear when I went through it at the hospital. I didn't want it to get destroyed or something, so I kept it…"

While Yang spoke, Ruby stared at the small image so intently her eyes might bore holes right through it. Weiss looked so happy though. And young. They both looked young and...close.

"I figured you'd want it back now," Yang said quietly before patting Ruby on the shoulder and kissing the top of her head. "Sleep well."

Yang was already halfway out the door when Ruby finally tore her eyes away from the photograph.

"Thank you!" she called out, receiving a wave in return before her door snapped shut.

Her eyes immediately fell back to the picture and remained there for a long, long time - memorizing every little detail, down to what they were wearing and what time of day it might be. It was winter from their clothing and the piles of snow. The snow was a dead giveaway. But why were they laughing?

Did it matter? Look at how happy they were! And when Weiss was happy, she _radiated_ beauty. It was...wow, yeah. No wonder Ruby kept this picture close. Merely looking at it was enough to make her feel lucky. This version of Weiss was difficult to find, but here it was, captured forever.

Could there be more moments like these hidden throughout their past? Could there be, maybe, another glimpse of _this_ Weiss residing in the device laying on Ruby's bed?

Finally setting the photo down, she picked up the device and clicked on the most recent video without hesitation. It was her...from today.

Skipping a few entries down the list, she found the most recent recording that wasn't from today. The date told her that it was from over a year ago. Her finger hovered over the single entry in a long list of videos, unsure of what she might find if she clicked on it.

A part of her said that she shouldn't watch it - that Weiss probably hadn't meant to give these to her - but...

But, she wanted to see more of this past version of Weiss. She wanted to see more of that pure, unspoiled happiness. She wanted to see more of how they'd been - how they talked to each other, and if they teased each other. She wanted to see how they were, together.

The most recent videos held none of those answers because they were only of her running through the mazes. But the ones further down the list...those were of _her!_ Pre-injury. Pre-everything. This was what she'd been like.

Clicking on the video, she held her breath and watched raptly - her nose practically pressed to the screen.

It was another maze, but not from today. Ruby was still there, but she was...different. As she flew through the maze of trees and other obstacles, it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing - exactly where she was going. Exactly when to brake or accelerate. Exactly when to jump or slide. Exactly what angle to take around a turn.

She was pretty dang skilled!

The next video on the list was another maze. So was the one underneath that, and the one underneath that. After watching a few more time trials, she finally clicked on the tab of saved videos. Watching herself run around was great and all, but she wanted to see _Weiss_.

The top entry of the saved section was titled 'The Horde,' with additional tags of 'Beowolves,' 'Forest,' and 'We're Awesome.' Sounded promising.

Her heart beat rapidly as the clip began and the two of them appeared on the screen - standing in the middle of a clearing in a cold, snowy forest. The timer on the screen read minus thirty - that must be the buffer before the simulation started.

But look at them. It was Weiss and her. Only a different her. The same Weiss, only...different too.

"Are you ready?" Ruby heard her voice ask. It sounded so strange on video! Was her voice always so high pitched?

"Yes," Weiss answered while shaking Myrtenaster like she was trying to get jitters out.

"This'll be a piece of cake!" Ruby said before gasping. "Do we have cake left?"

"There's one slice in the fridge."

"Yes! I totally call it. Unless you want it?"

"It's all yours."

Weiss' words were short while her eyes scanned the trees - everything about her showing that she was anxious about something. The video version of Ruby seemed to sense the same thing because she reached over and grabbed Weiss' free hand.

"Weiss," Ruby said in a slightly stern tone before brightening. "Time to have fun, remember? Just you, me, and a _lot_ of Beowolves!"

"How are you always so confident?"

"Because I have the best partner in Remnant!"

The comment seemed to help Weiss relax, and she finally turned towards Ruby.

"Is this your idea of a good date?"

"It is! But with cake after."

Shaking her head, Weiss laughed - the same laugh that made Ruby's heart to thunder in her chest. "You're so strange sometimes."

"But that's why you love me!"

The camera panned out as howls broke free, expanding the view to show the Grimm spawning at the edges of the room.

"More than anything," Ruby heard Weiss say before the battle began in earnest.

There were so, so many Beowolves. They swarmed through the trees to the clearing, a stream of black running through dark green and white. From this viewpoint, Ruby could see that the clearing was in the center of the room, which allowed the Grimm to surround on every side. The actual space for a battle was _small_ , which would only add to the difficulty of this situation.

But when the first group of Beowolves burst through the treeline, they instantly disappeared - taken away in a burst of red. The next group died in a flurry of white.

Goosebumps raised along Ruby's arms as she watched the fight progress, more and more Beowolves spawning, fighting, and dying in rapid succession. The Grimm burst into the clearing in random numbers - in some instances, their giant bodies taking up nearly half of the available space before being taken care of.

From afar, Ruby could see how the past version of herself and Weiss worked together - the orchestrated movements, seamlessly executed. The pinpoint precision, impeccable awareness - it was flawless.

The Beowolves fell methodically, even though they generated at random positions and in random groupings. A small counter on the bottom of the screen clicked quickly upward. Three hundred. Three hundred and fifty. Four hundred.

Flashes of red and flurries of petals interspersed with glyphs and lines of white. The Grimm disappeared in waves of destruction that were hardly traceable to her untrained eye, and yet the streams of black kept flowing.

Growing lightheaded, Ruby realized that she needed to breathe while watching the rest of the battle. But it didn't feel like there was a chance for air when the Beowolves sprinted towards what was certain doom.

Eight hundred. Eight hundred and fifty.

When the end of spawning was reached, the camera automatically zoomed in towards the only beings left on the combat floor. Ruby watched herself take out a group of three Grimm with a single blow - a single blow! - before catapulting to the opposite side of the clearing using a glyph she couldn't have possibly seen before jumping onto it.

Four more Grimm fell - five. Weiss shot through several more before they both converged on the last Beowolf together. Whatever they did was so fast Ruby didn't even see what happened, but the creature disintegrated into thin air, and the clearing was suddenly empty.

"We...did it?"

Past Ruby laughed at Weiss' disbelief.

"Of course we did!" she exclaimed before hugging Weiss, lifting her feet off the ground and spinning her in a circle. Weiss laughed too - a mixture of relief and delight before Ruby set her back on the ground. Both hands still on Weiss' waist, Ruby stepped forward and leaned in for a kiss.

The recording ended then, but Ruby could feel butterflies flying around her stomach in force. Tossing the device onto her covers, she stood up and paced her room.

"Wow," she whispered, running both hands through her hair and then shaking them by her side. "Wow, wow, _wow_."

They were good. No, they were _great_. She'd never seen anything so...breathtaking. How had they gotten so good? It seemed impossible. Unreal.

One thousand. _One_ _thousand_ _Beowolves_. And they made it look easy. There wasn't a single mistake.

That's what Ruby had lost? Now only Weiss, but... _that?_ That closeness. Working together without even speaking. Comradery. A partner. This whole time she'd been trying to become a huntress by herself, but _that?_ She could never do that on her own. She hadn't even known something like that was possible until right now.

It felt like her room shrank the more she walked back and forth. It was collapsing in on her while a feeling grew inside of her - a feeling she couldn't escape.

She wanted that life back. The house. The big yard. The awesome combat room. Weiss.

She was jealous of past her. Was it possible to be jealous of herself?

Grabbing the device off the bed, she stood in the middle of her room and watched the video again. The second time through she caught more of their strategies and motions. It was enough to give her chills.

If only she could remember. If she remembered, then they could pick up where they'd left off, right? It probably wasn't that simple, but if it was, she'd pretend to remember!

That probably wouldn't work for very long though…she was a horrible liar.

But...wow.

When the feeling inside of her grew too big, she decided that she needed some fresh air. Even though it was the middle of the night, she grabbed a jacket from her closet and the picture off her bed and snuck outside.

 _But that's why you love me!_

 _More than anything._

Creeping across the back porch before jogging into the middle of the yard, Ruby sat down on the grass and wrapped her hands around her knees. It was chilly out, but the cold air was refreshing - tiny blasts of chill that sent trembles of energy through her limbs.

Closing her eyes, she saw the video again. There were patterns everywhere, some of them too fast for her to see during the first or second playthrough. If she watched a third time, at a slower speed, she was sure she'd find even more. Switches, reverses, rotations, repeats, and cycles. But nothing was called out. The two of them responded to cues Ruby had been too mesmerized to search for.

She'd spent the past year teaching herself how to fight and survive on her own. She hadn't even begun to think about what it might be like to have a partner.

 _That_ was what it was like.

The possibilities were endless - so endless her head was already swimming with ideas. Weiss' glyphs meant that the battle could take place in a small space with longer lines of attack. The angles became sharper. They could pivot on a dime if they got the timing right.

And their timing had been perfect.

Ruby had a lot more learning to do. A lot more reading too. There had to be books on team strategies she could find. And Weiss! Maybe Weiss would be willing to teach her.

Ruby already knew this, but Weiss was an extremely talented huntress. Her relaxed fighting style was even better than anything Ruby had seen so far - poised, crisp, and clean. There was no hesitation. Every motion was assertive.

Sighing, Ruby opened her eyes and looked down at the photograph in her hand, tilting it back and forth in the moonlight so she could see it clearly.

How could they get back what they'd had? Even just a little bit of it…

How could they move forward from here?

Dropping her hand, she looked up at the moon - big and bright tonight.

If only her mom was here. She'd have some great words of wisdom or something.

"Hey Mom," Ruby whispered, finding the small fragment of the moon that held a piece of her heart. "Long time no talk. Sorry I've been so busy...what with the tournament and then...everything else."

The Beacon Invite felt like it had been ages ago. It was so important at the time...she'd wanted to prove that her hard work had been worth something. But the importance of succeeding as a huntress had taken a quick backseat to the importance of Weiss.

"We finished all the rounds of the tournament! I guess you probably saw that though...I got to split that huge machine thing in half! That was fun."

Pausing, Ruby remembered the feeling of standing there while the crowds cheered their success. Theirs. It had been a team effort through and through. Maybe it was a little sloppy and slower than it should've or could've been, but they'd done it together. Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. Their team.

"I thought I knew what I wanted…" she continued with a sigh, looking down at her knees. "I wanted to be a huntress because that's what I _was_. Because that's what you were. I didn't put more thought into it than that. Probably should've…"

Chuckling to herself, she shoved her hands deeper in her pockets to block out the cold.

"Did you know all of this?" she asked before shaking her head. "Of course you did...you know everything. You never gave me a warning though - not even a little hint!"

Closing her eyes, Ruby saw an image of Weiss in her mind, standing on that platform behind them in the arena. How much courage had it taken to be there? After everything that happened, how much strength had it taken to tell the truth?

Opening her eyes, she looked back at the moon.

"Guess you wanted to give her the chance to tell me…"

Ruby's mom was smart like that. There were always opportunities for people to grow stronger, and she was great at finding and encouraging those moments. If Ruby had found out about the past on her own, Weiss never would've had the chance to prove to herself just how strong she was - which was incredibly strong.

Weiss didn't need to run from the past anymore - she had the strength to face it.

"Ok, but now that I know, how 'bout a little help figuring out what to do next? A hint or sign or something? Just nothing painful! Please."

Staring up at the bright moon, Ruby waited for a response. Maybe the clouds or the stars would rearrange themselves into words or something. That'd be pretty dang cool.

"Can't sleep?"

Turning around in surprise, Ruby watched Blake step silently off the porch and join her on the grass.

"I thought it'd be cool to be nocturnal," Ruby joked. "Sorry if I woke you guys up."

"Don't worry, I was still awake," Blake replied while sitting next to Ruby on the grass, the two of them now shoulder-to-shoulder. "And Yang sleeps like a rock unless I wake her."

"Mm…" Ruby replied before several seconds of silence as they both looked up at the moon. "Thought I'd talk to Mom," she explained. "Ask her why she couldn't give her _favorite_ daughter a heads up."

Blake chuckled at the comment.

"I wish I'd had the chance to meet her. She sounds like an amazing person."

"Oh, she was. All wise and smart and wisdomous. And she would've loved you!"

As Blake's gaze fell to the ground and her ears flattened, she pulled at a few blades of grass.

"I don't know about that...being known as 'that Faunus who used to be a criminal' isn't exactly the best way to meet the parents."

Laughing softly, Ruby wiggled on the ground to get more comfortable.

"Mom never believed in that sorta stuff though. Everyone has something in their past they wish they could change. You're a good person _now_ \- that's what matters."

"That opinion is why I'm so lucky to have found you and Yang," Blake whispered before they fell into more silence. There were crickets out tonight, chirping in the woods. It was a pleasant sound – very soothing.

"How are you doing?" Blake finally asked to break the silence.

"Oh, you know, just found out I used to be partners with the girl I like," Ruby replied nonchalantly. "No big deal - we used to live together and were engaged. Had a nice place too! Turns out it's been about five minutes away this whole time."

"That good, huh."

Ruby sighed, knowing it was pointless to try to hide her feelings.

"Now I completely understand why you guys were so careful about not overloading my brain. I don't have the memories, but now I'm trying to create them. I want to make it all _fit_. Like, put it back together."

"Does this change anything though?" Blake asked, turning towards Ruby. "You said yourself it would be like learning about a separate person. That's not who you are now."

"Yeah! But that was before I learned that I had a really awesome life!"

When Blake tilted her head, Ruby tried to explain her thoughts.

"I mean, I was the leader of a great team and living with this fantastic, wonderful person. I was super fast and able to fight pretty well...I had it all."

"Don't you still?"

"Eh…" Ruby mumbled with a shrug, pulling out several blades of grass before tossing them in the air. All she had were fragments. Little pieces of the past that didn't make much sense.

"We're still here, Ruby," Blake said earnestly. "You still have your team. You're still an _amazing_ huntress. And I guarantee Weiss would be thrilled if you put that ring back on your finger. You can have _all_ of that again. It's only a matter of what you feel comfortable with."

When Ruby was in that house today - _her_ house - she'd never felt more at home. She hadn't wanted to leave. She hadn't wanted to leave Weiss' side.

"But I haven't known her that long."

"Technically, you've known her as long as you've known me. You just don't remember most of it," Blake replied with a small grin. Ruby managed to smile, but internally she was torn.

"I guess…it just seems fast."

"Don't worry about fast or slow. Worry about how you feel and what you want. Those are the only two feelings you can trust."

What did she want? That was easy - she wanted to be with Weiss. She wanted to make Weiss happy. How did she feel though? That was much more difficult to answer. She was confused because she didn't understand this...relationship stuff. But also...in addition to the confusion...there was this giant bundle of emotions that burned bright and filled her chest with warmth whenever Weiss smiled.

It was love. But how could it have happened so fast?

"But...it's just…"

Giving up, Ruby threw her hands in the air before letting them fall to her sides.

"You know, Yang and I have talked about the two of you," Blake replied, undisturbed by Ruby's response. "And how you might end up together again."

"Really?" Ruby asked in surprise, turning to the side as Blake nodded.

"We've known for a while that it would never be conventional - how could it be with the past you two share? I know you want to know how or why, but people are more complex than weapons, Ruby. If you spend all your time trying to figure out _why_ something is the way it is, you'll miss out on experiencing it altogether. Sometimes...things just _work_ \- even if we don't understand why. And if it works, why wouldn't we accept it?"

As Blake's words trailed off, a series of shadows swirled in the air in front of them - doing a series of flips and spins before disappearing into the night.

The analogy was clear. Maybe Ruby didn't understand her feelings for Weiss, but she understood even less about her semblance. Yet she accepted the weird, really fast thread inside of her. She used it daily. She accepted that she didn't know how it worked, but it was as much a part of her as her hand or her heart.

If she could accept her semblance without question, why couldn't she do the same with Weiss? They worked well together. And even if it seemed fast...well, shouldn't that just make it all the more remarkable?

"You give good advice," Ruby finally said with a smile, making Blake let out an unexpected laugh.

"Well, I read a lot. But in this case, I'm speaking from personal experience."

"Yang?"

"Who else?" Blake replied rhetorically. "I was obsessed with this ideal timeline we were supposed to follow when I should've just buckled up and enjoyed the ride. Thankfully everything turned out ok, but I've always regretted making her wait. I'm not going to watch you make the same mistake without at least warning you."

"I can't believe you got Yang to wait for anything," Ruby joked, smiling when Blake laughed again.

"It was a long time ago," Blake replied before her expression turned more serious.

"In our line of work, tomorrow isn't guaranteed," she added, looking up at the moon with Ruby following her gaze. "Our time with loved ones is precious."

What Blake was saying made a lot of sense. Look at Ruby's past - her number had nearly already been called once. Why would she waste time when they had so little of it to begin with?

"I watched a video," she admitted, nodding towards the house. "I don't think Weiss meant for me to have it, but it was in the scroll thing she gave me to play with. From the combat room."

A part of her thought Blake would be surprised, but she only looked curious.

"And? What did you see?"

The battle, the teamwork, but also...

"Weiss was different."

Blake smiled sadly at the observation, her ears drooping slightly.

"She was different."

"Do you think she'll ever be like that again?"

This time, the question made Blake sigh.

"Nothing ever stays the same, Ruby. Every day we change - grow stronger, weaker. Make decisions that turn into regrets or triumphs. She has scars she'll carry for the rest of her life, just like you will. Maybe they'll never go away, but they'll heal. Someday, you might even forget why they're there to begin with."

Ruby touched the scar running across her wrist, which she didn't notice most days anymore. It was just another part of her arm, like a freckle, only this one had a big story attached to it - a story that kept getting longer. She knew it would never disappear - scars couldn't be erased - but it had faded over time.

"Thank you," Ruby said, smiling when Blake stood and pulled her to her feet.

"You're welcome, Ruby. I hope you can sleep now."

With a small nod, Blake headed towards the house, moving silently across the grass and porch. Before she made it to the door, however, a thought popped into Ruby's head.

"And we're the lucky ones," she called out, causing Blake to stop and turn around. "We're the lucky ones," she repeated with a smile. "To have you in our lives."

Briefly taken aback by the comment, Blake then smiled - quickly touching her hand to her heart before heading inside. Before following, Ruby looked at the moon one last time.

"You like her, don't you?" she whispered. A soft breeze rustling through the trees was the perfect answer - a calm, pleasant 'yes.'

"I think I know what I've gotta do next," she said with one last smile for her mom. "Wish me luck!"

Rushing inside, she sat down on her bed and picked up her scroll.

Blake was right. If something worked, don't question it. Accept that there were parts of life that would never be fully understood.

It was time for her to be honest. She was jealous watching the video. She was jealous of how close she'd been with Weiss. How she'd picked Weiss up. How she'd fearlessly gone for a kiss. How she'd been so confident that Weiss loved her.

After tapping the edge of her scroll for a few moments, she took a deep breath, unlocked it, and typed out a message.

 _'_ _Can you come over?'_

It was only after she pressed send that she remembered it was the middle of the night and Weiss was probably fast asleep. But a response arrived quickly.

 _'_ _Are you alright? Is something wrong?'_

Whoops. Sensing the rising worry, Ruby sent a rapid text back.

 _'_ _I'm ok. Sorry I woke you up! I couldn't sleep and thought maybe you could come over.'_

 _'_ _Right now?'_

 _'_ _Yeah? Can you?'_

 _'_ _I'll be right over.'_

Mission successful!

Tossing her scroll onto the covers and flopping down, Ruby put her hands behind her head on the pillow. Her nerves were multiplying already, but she could do this. She just fought in The Beacon Invitational! She could tell Weiss how she felt. Finally. If she closed her eyes now, she could imagine saying the words to Weiss out loud.

"I...love...you. I love you."


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry I haven't responded to reviews recently. My life has been busy/stressful and I've felt kind of buried under it all. I still appreciate all of your reviews, and I love hearing from you! I hope to get back on track soon. Just need some things to settle down first!**

* * *

Invited over in the middle of the night? What could possibly be so important? Why couldn't it wait until morning?

Those questions, along with a thousand possible answers, hadn't stopped running through Weiss' mind since Ruby made the unexpected request. Of course, Weiss hadn't even considered declining the invitation. If Ruby wanted her to come over, she would come over. Day or night. Rain or shine. Sleep or no sleep.

She was willing to drop everything and rush to Ruby's side, but the urgency of this situation threw her off. Was urgency a good sign or bad? What could have happened to create such urgency in the middle of the night?

The request didn't fit with how they ended their day together. When she dropped Ruby off at home earlier that evening, things between them seemed fine - albeit a tad off kilter. Weiss understood that Ruby needed time to process the information she'd just received, but so far she'd absorbed everything in stride. In fact, it felt like they'd made so much progress today while they sorted through the past together. What changed since then?

As soon as the message arrived on Weiss' scroll, whatever exhaustion she'd been feeling disappeared. She hadn't been sleeping anyway - that was a fruitless endeavor she'd uselessly chased ever since bidding Ruby goodnight. Instead, she was lying in bed while meticulously dissecting and analyzing every interaction they'd shared over the past two days. This was a habit she was trying to break, but in this circumstance, she really couldn't help it - not when the outcomes seemed to be pointing up.

Now this.

Why was Ruby even awake at this hour? Unless...had she found it difficult to sleep as well? Had Weiss told her too much? Shown her too much? Was she struggling with the information, and that's why she asked Weiss to come over?

That distressing thought made Weiss wish it hadn't taken so long to get out of the house. Usually, it wouldn't take her longer than a few minutes, but - quite honestly - she hadn't known what to wear. It was a silly issue, but an issue nonetheless. What outfit was appropriate when rushing over in the middle of the night for an unknown conversation that most likely had something to do with her recently disclosed past?

Eventually, she'd decided to pretend that it wasn't the middle of the night and dressed as if it were a regular afternoon. A regular afternoon where the moon was out, and the rest of the city was sleeping.

It was unexpected and unconventional, but this entire episode shouldn't be surprising. Ruby had never been the most conventional of souls.

When Weiss finally arrived at the small house, there were no lights to be found. All was dark and quiet in the neighborhood, as well.

Thanking the taxi driver and stepping outside, she walked as silently as possible to the front door - trying not to disturb the eerie quiet. When she stepped onto the front stoop and the door didn't automatically open for her, she thought of what to do next.

Pulling out her scroll, she sent a quick ' _here_ ' to Ruby before waiting. And waiting. Several minutes passed, but no response returned to her.

Time for Plan B, but what was Plan B? Was the front door still appropriate? Should she knock? If Blake and Yang were asleep, the last thing she wanted to do was knock and wake one or both of them up.

No, she shouldn't knock. Instead, she sent another message to Ruby - a succinct ' _Ruby?'_ \- before hesitantly reaching out and trying the handle. It was locked.

Taking a step back and looking at the front of the house, she tried to figure out what her next step should be.

Where was Ruby?

Clicking the call button on her scroll, Weiss held the device to her ear and listened to it ring and ring before switching over to voicemail. Sighing out loud, she ended the call without leaving a message.

Ruby's scroll was probably programmed to silence incoming calls after a particular time. It was a useful feature in many instances, but a favorites list needed to be established to ensure she still received important calls. Not that Weiss was so presumptuous as to assume she'd make that list...or that her calls were important. In fact, maybe Ruby had already created a list of favorite contacts, and Weiss hadn't made the cut.

Disheartened by the thought, she tried to convince herself that Ruby just hadn't played with those settings while taking a step back towards the sidewalk. Tapping the side of her scroll against her leg, she finally decided that she'd try the side of the house instead of using the front door. A small strip of grass running parallel to the garage would lead her to the backyard. From there, she could reach Ruby's bedroom window - and hopefully not scare the living daylights out of the possibly-sleeping girl by knocking on the glass.

Why was Weiss going through so much trouble? If no one answered the front door or responded to her messages, the appropriate response was to either wait out front or go home and try again later. Why was she diverging from proper manners? Sneaking around someone's house to reach their bedroom window was the epitome of a teenager pining for their muse.

But maybe Ruby fell asleep in the time it took Weiss to get here. Or maybe this was a test of some sort. Maybe Weiss was _supposed_ to find a way to Ruby when the most obvious path was blocked.

Settled upon her plan, she strode across the grass in the front yard before walking across the concrete driveway leading to the garage. On the far side of the property was a fence separating her from the backyard, but the short set of flimsy boards wouldn't be a problem at all. Using a single glyph, she catapulted herself over the fence - and landed directly in a shrub she hadn't seen on the other side.

Lovely.

Yanking her foot out of the twigs and stumbling forward a couple of steps before regaining her balance, she brushed off her clothes and said a silent thanks that no one witnessed that unfortunate failure. But who planted shrubbery along a fence?

Hurrying past the side of the garage before turning the corner into the backyard, Weiss barely caught sight of a flash of movement that she burst away from on instinct. But, as she slid backward, something grabbed the backs of her heels, dragging her off balance before a substantial weight hit her squarely on the chest - knocking the air from her lungs and sending her crashing to the ground. In under a second, she found herself on her back in the grass staring down the edge of a blade.

"Don't m- oh, Grimm. Weiss!" Quickly putting Gambol away, Blake reached down and pulled Weiss back to her feet. "What're you doing out here?"

Holding up one finger, Weiss crouched over and put one hand on her knee while trying to regain the breath Blake's heels had just knocked from her lungs.

"Ruby...asked me…"

"Why didn't you use the door then? Why are you sneaking around?"

Still waiting for her lungs to re-inflate, she was only capable of shaking her head while Blake waited for an answer. Thankfully, the back door burst open at that moment, and Ruby flew outside.

"I'm so sorry! I fell asleep!" she wailed while racing to Weiss' side. "I closed my eyes for like a second and missed your message!"

As Ruby set a hand on Weiss' shoulder in concern, Blake looked between the two of them before shaking her head and sighing.

"I'm going back to sleep…" she mumbled before stalking inside.

"Sorry!" Ruby called out after Blake before grimacing. "Whoops...are you ok though? Did she hurt you?"

"Only my pride…" Weiss muttered with the air she'd managed to reclaim, rubbing at the spot on her collarbone where she'd probably have boot prints for the next few days.

That had been a rather large lapse in spacial awareness on her part. Avoiding Blake's attacks when she was in full stealth mode was difficult on the best of days, but Weiss should've been able to escape the ribbon pull, at least. Instead, she was easily apprehended like some common criminal.

After shaking her head at her floundering skills, she finally looked at Ruby - more specifically, what Ruby was wearing.

Weiss was overdressed. Well, _anything_ was overdressing a jacket thrown over strawberry-patterned pajamas and a matching pair of fuzzy slippers. Of course, somehow Ruby pulled it off and looked absolutely adorable.

Coughing lightly into one hand, Weiss couldn't prevent a smile from appearing. The fuzzy slippers were just too cute. That and being back together, no matter the pretenses, was worthy of a display of happiness.

And, from the grin Ruby currently wore, she might be feeling the same way.

"Hi," Weiss finally said, dipping her head in greeting.

"Hey! Thanks for coming over!"

The response reminded Weiss that she didn't know _why_ she'd come over - and why the two of them were standing outside in the middle of the night.

"Of course. But...what's the occasion?" she asked, wondering if she really wanted to know what caused this impromptu meeting, or if they could pretend this was a planned continuation of their day together.

"Oh, uh, right."

After glancing towards the house, Ruby took Weiss' hands and led them towards the woods at the edge of the yard. Curiosity growing as Ruby guided her through the darkened trees, Weiss eventually recognized where they were headed - the small clearing where she'd tried and failed to catch a butterfly.

Tonight, the clearing was filled with moonlight, making it possible to see within the blackness of the woods. And at this distance from the house, they probably had privacy from Blake's ears - which must've been Ruby's intent.

But what did Ruby have to say that she didn't want Blake to overhear? And why was she suddenly shuffling her feet against the forest floor, as if uncertain about moving forward at all?

"First, I...uh, I wanted to apologize."

Now _that_ was unexpected.

"What? Ruby, you have _nothing_ to apologize for," Weiss replied emphatically.

"Well I want to anyway! And I took all your apologies, so you gotta take this one, ok?" When Ruby's imploring eyes met Weiss', her resolve immediately wavered. Without Weiss even saying as much, Ruby somehow understood - and sucked in a big breath before continuing.

"I wanted to say…" Pausing, Ruby furrowed her brow in such unmistakable sadness that Weiss' heart clenched. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry I got hurt and made you run away and caused you all this pain."

"That wasn't your fault -"

"But I was _involved_ in some way, doesn't that make me partially to blame?"

"Of course not," Weiss immediately replied. A small voice in the back of her mind called her out for the hypocrisy of that statement. She spent the last year blaming herself for Ruby's injuries, but that was different. That was _actually_ her fault.

...right?

Fortunately, Ruby's apologetic expression lessened with Weiss' words.

"I'm still sorry it happened," she said, glancing at a small piece of paper tucked within one of her hands. "And how much it changed...everything."

"What's that?" Weiss asked, nodding towards Ruby's hand. Ruby willingly extended the paper, which Weiss accepted and turned around so she could see.

It was a photograph, and as soon as she could make out the details under the moonlight, she smiled.

"I remember this," she remarked, touching a finger to Ruby's grinning image. "We were on winter break and a large snowstorm had just passed through. Everyone headed outside to build snowmen and start snowball fights. Velvet ran around taking photos and asked us to pose for one. We're laughing because right when Velvet told us to smile, Nora fell out of a pine tree and disappeared in a pile of snow." The memory made Weiss pause and chuckle. "The noise she made was one of the funniest things I've ever heard."

When Weiss offered the photo back, Ruby accepted it like it was some prized treasure.

"Where'd you get it from?"

"Uh...just something Yang gave me," Ruby replied before grinning. "I really like it."

On any given day Ruby's train of thought could be random and jumpy, but there were certain instances, like this one, where the randomness wasn't quite _right_. She was random, but usually in a strangely-purposeful way.

Inviting Weiss over in the middle of the night to show her this old picture was only random. There wasn't any purpose to it - at least, not that Weiss could see.

Ruby was stalling. But why was she stalling?

A part of Weiss didn't want to know what Ruby was avoiding. But another part of her was immensely curious.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" she guessed, hoping that the question would draw out an answer.

"No, I...I wanted to tell you something."

The more Ruby squirmed, the faster Weiss' heart beat in anticipation and trepidation. Swallowing once in an attempt to alleviate her nerves at what was to come, she nodded once and steeled herself.

"I'm listening."

Shifting between her feet and playing with the hem of her jacket, Ruby let out a huff of air before meeting Weiss' eyes with an air of determination.

"I wanted to tell you that...I like you, Weiss. Like a lot. I think you're the most amazing person ever. You're beautiful and funny and smart and generous and just being around you makes me happy!"

Worry or concern left Weiss like the air out of a deflating balloon. Any of those compliments _by themselves_ would have her walking on Cloud 9 for an entire day - receiving them all at once was nearly too good to be true.

Although, after everything she admitted last night, for Ruby to use the term 'like' felt as if they were stuck in the same spot they'd been in before. It was better than moving backward, but...

"I like you too, Ruby," Weiss answered with a smile, willing to accept whatever feelings of affection Ruby offered. Because she understood now that it was better than nothing - _anything_ from Ruby was better than being without her.

But Ruby shook her head.

"No, no. Not like that. I didn't mean it like that."

Confused by the response, Weiss watched Ruby's eyes shift to the house before snapping back to her.

"I mean that...I _like_ you...how Yang likes Blake."

How Yang likes...but Yang and Blake - did Ruby...could she mean…?

Suddenly, Weiss' heart was beating almost too loudly for her to hear anything else. Swallowing again, she licked her lips before responding.

"But Yang...loves Blake."

The look she gave Ruby begged for clarification on what Ruby was trying to say. A red blush and nod were more than enough of an answer.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, like that. I kinda, I mean, I know now that I...love you, Weiss."

If a meteor landed beside Weiss at this instant, she wouldn't notice. If the earth split apart and began spewing lava, if a hurricane passed overhead, if a twister touched down and broke the woods into splinters...she would still stand there - staring in absolute dismay.

A prompt response was probably desirable in a moment like this, but she never dared dream that this could happen again. What they'd once had was lost - forever -

"And I know that it's fast or whatever, but I can't help it!" Ruby continued when Weiss didn't respond. "I have all these feelings and it doesn't feel right to hold them inside anymore. I don't really understand like a hundred percent of it, but I wanted you to know - I feel like you need to know -"

The longer Weiss stayed silent, the faster Ruby spoke. But she couldn't believe this was happening. All those nights she cried over losing Ruby...the sleep she lost _knowing_ that she'd never love like that again...

"I love you too," she blurted out in the midst of Ruby's rambling. When Ruby returned a look of shock, Weiss blushed and added, "I mean, I... _like_ you too. How Yang likes Blake…"

Her embarrassment disappeared at the look of elation on Ruby's face - she was beaming, bright as a ray of sunshine.

"Then you still love me?" Ruby asked, the question causing Weiss' heart to overflow with affection.

"Ruby...I never stopped."

Letting out a relieved laugh, Ruby bounced on her toes - a symbol of excitement refueling her veins.

"Then...I know we used to be really close. And we had a lot. I'm sorry I forgot all of that, but maybe...uh, maybe we could like...try again?"

"Try again?"

"Yeah like, you know, we could...be together?"

When Ruby pressed the tips of her two forefingers together, Weiss stared.

Together. As in _together_ together.

Her heart wasn't built for this much rapid beating.

"Are you asking me out?" she asked breathlessly.

With a nervous laugh, Ruby ran a hand through her hair and flashed a shy grin. "I'm trying? But not just asking you out. Like, I'm asking if...what we _used_ to have before I got hurt...will you like, save that spot for me? Cuz I kinda want it back."

"Of - of course I will. There could never be anyone else," Weiss replied as her tone filled with inescapable emotion.

What Ruby was saying - that she wanted her spot back - that must also mean that she…

She wanted Weiss back.

How was this possible? It seemed too good to be true - too amazing to be real. All of the doubt Weiss had wasted upon herself, only for Ruby to prove that their relationship hadn't been a fluke. It wasn't some mistake that would reveal itself in time. Ruby loved her - even though she was more flawed than anyone else she knew. Ruby found ways to love her.

Overcome by emotion, her eyes filled with tears, which immediately made Ruby's eyes widen.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"Please don't be sorry," Weiss managed to reply while wiping tears away with her sleeve. "I'm just...happy…"

A short laugh slipped out while she tried to get her emotions under control.

"I really love you," she mumbled before wiping her eyes a third time and smiling at Ruby, who smiled in return.

"So...can I like...kiss you now?"

"Ruby," Weiss replied in a playfully scolding tone. "You don't have to -"

Quickly stepping forward, Ruby tilted Weiss' chin up with one hand and kissed her on the lips mid-sentence. She was completely unprepared, but this time Ruby lingered long enough that she was able to return the kiss with all her heart.

It felt so good to say those words aloud. Ruby, I love you - I love you, I love you, I love you - to the moon and back. More than anything in all of Remnant.

When Ruby eventually pulled away, blushing madly, Weiss resisted the urge to follow and instead raised one hand to gently touch her lips.

"Ha…" Ruby breathed out before shaking her head, sending her hair ruffling. "I still...gotta get used to that…"

Before Weiss could respond, Ruby covered her reddened cheeks with both hands.

"Oh my god! And my mom totally could've been watching that!"

When Ruby looked up through the trees to the moon, hands still covering her flushing cheeks, Weiss reached out to take one of Ruby's hands and laughed softly. Right now, she felt as light as air - as if the loss and pain from the past year had finally washed from her hands and mind, allowing her to breathe again.

"I'm sure she turned away for a few seconds," she replied, giving Ruby's hands a reassuring squeeze.

The next second she was wrapped in Ruby's arms for a tight hug - one that was different from the previous hugs they'd shared. Maybe it was only Weiss' imagination, but she thought she could feel a hint of the protectiveness Ruby used to hold - as if she was using the hug to create a physical barrier between the two of them and the rest of the world. It made Weiss feel safe and secure and...loved.

With one more comforting squeeze, Ruby lifted Weiss' feet right off the ground before setting her down and releasing her with a grin.

"Hey, you're not that heavy!"

"I'm not...did you think I was?"

If anything, Weiss was currently _under_ the ideal weight for her height. Could it be this outfit? Was it adding to her frame in an unflattering way?

Eyes widening in horror, Ruby rapidly shook her head.

"Of course not! You're super skinny! Like, so skinny and beautiful! I was just saying, I mean, you're light enough that I could probably carry you!"

Understanding that Ruby had just suffered another unfortunate 'foot in mouth' incident, Weiss shook her head and laughed while letting it go. Relaxing back into a grin, Ruby took a step closer - close enough that the tips of their feet were nearly touching. Tearing her eyes away from silver for an instant, Weiss glanced up at the moon and let out a large sigh of relief.

"I'm so glad you asked me to come over..." she breathed out, turning back when she felt one of Ruby's hands lightly touch her waist. Everything Ruby did held an air of hesitation at the moment, as if wondering where her boundaries were.

If it was permission Ruby sought, Weiss was more than willing to grant it - which she did with a smile that made Ruby immediately relax.

"Me too!" Regaining some nerves, Ruby bit her lip and peered down at Weiss with imploring eyes. "Do you...do you think you could stay over? I kinda like not being alone. Unless you have somewhere else to be."

The request was heartwarming...and served to solidify what they'd just confessed to each other. Not only was Ruby accepting the past that had just come to light, but their present didn't seem affected by the disclosure. If anything, they'd only grown closer...through Weiss finally finding the courage to be honest and forthcoming.

"It's flattering that you think I'm popular enough to have plans in the middle of the night," she answered in a slightly teasing tone. "But I have nowhere else to be. Even if I had plans, I'd gladly cancel them for you."

With that decision made, the two of them shared a smile that felt like it could last forever. That is, until a cold wind raced through the clearing and Weiss shivered - a shiver that didn't go unnoticed by Ruby.

"Are you cold? Let's go inside! We don't have to keep standing out here."

Without waiting for a response, Ruby took Weiss by the hand and led them through the dark trees to the door of the house. After sneaking across the creaky porch and stepping inside, Ruby raised one finger to her lips and made a quiet 'shhhh' noise. When Weiss nodded in acceptance of the gentle instruction, they padded silently down the hall before ducking into Ruby's bedroom. Once Ruby closed the door, she leaped onto her bed and patted the covers in front of her for Weiss to sit down.

"Just so ya know, Blake can hear into my room perfectly," Ruby warned while Weiss attempted to sit as properly as possible, but sitting in the middle of a bedspread wasn't the most welcoming of places for etiquette. Eventually giving up, she followed Ruby's lead and crossed her legs.

"Understood. So we shouldn't say all the bad things we planned to talk about?" she joked.

"Oh yeah. Guess we can't talk about how much she annoys us with her constant talking about tuna and salmon!" Ruby replied in a hushed voice before giggling softly. "And what about how she secretly _loves_ the AchieveMen? I know for a _fact_ she only pretends to hate them so no one thinks she's a huge nerd like Yang."

Pausing for a second, Ruby tilted one ear towards the bedroom door as if she expected Blake to burst in at any moment. When several seconds passed and nothing happened, she turned back to Weiss with a pleased grin.

"She's either asleep or seriously annoyed with you now," Weiss replied, shaking her head at Ruby's antics.

"Guess I'll find out tomorrow!"

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Ruby grabbed onto her feet and rocked back and forth on the bed. The action made Weiss smile for no reason other than that Ruby looked so happy. And seeing Ruby happy made her happy.

"You and Blake are close," Weiss finally commented after it became clear Ruby was perfectly content to sit and beam forever.

Ruby and Blake's relationship never seemed out of place because they were _always_ good friends, but taken in the context of the past year, the two were remarkably close.

"Yup!" Ruby confirmed, adding some nods to boot. "She's like my second sister. You know, the one that doesn't tease me all the time or threaten to hit people." Chuckling, Ruby shook her head before growing slightly more serious. "She encourages me when I need it, and she gives great advice. I wouldn't be where I am today without her. Or any of you."

"She does give excellent advice," Weiss admitted while gratitude swelled in her chest for Blake's support of both her _and_ Ruby during the most trying period of their lives. "But I wouldn't doubt yourself so much. You've always been exceptional at making the impossible possible."

"Is that how I got you to like me?"

Flushing, Weiss shook her head but couldn't think of anything to say in response. Normally, she had no problem issuing a comeback to _any_ statement, but Ruby could be so unassumingly charming sometimes...

"You only have to be yourself for me to love you..." Weiss managed to say after re-finding her words.

Love - the word bounced around her mind in big neon letters as soon as it slipped past her lips.

Ruby loved her.

Whatever exhaustion she'd felt earlier that night had disappeared. Instead, she was filled with light, joyful energy that probably wouldn't go away anytime soon. Thankfully, Ruby didn't appear anywhere near sleep either - not while she was rocking on the bed and grinning at Weiss.

"Can you tell me more about yourself? Like...what were you like as a kid? Growing up?"

The questions made Weiss chuckle while shaking her head in disbelief. Ruby was getting all of the unbecoming stories up front.

"I had a very...regimented...childhood," Weiss answered regardless, feeling her brow crease when she recalled her younger years in detail. "My family had money, but that didn't mean I had the freedom to do what I wanted. The days were structured for me - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schooling, 4 to 6 private tutors, 6 to 7 dinner, 7 to bed a rotating schedule of more training, vocal lessons, piano lessons, or etiquette instruction."

"That doesn't sound very fun…"

"No, but by the time I arrived at Beacon, I was accomplished, capable, and extraordinarily full of myself."

"I don't believe that at all!" Ruby replied with a vigorous shake of her head. "You're so nice and down-to-earth!"

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that Ruby didn't remember what Weiss was like when they first met. Being forced to work with teammates, not being appointed a team leader...those were some of the best things that ever happened to her. They were extremely humbling, but that's exactly what she'd needed.

"What's something you really like to do?" Ruby asked next. "Like a hobby? Do you have a hobby?"

"I enjoy singing," Weiss admitted after a slight pause. "I was forced into it, but I like creating music in some way."

"I bet you sound like an angel! Will you sing for me sometime? Please?" Ruby asked the question so earnestly, Weiss couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course. Someday I'd be more than willing to."

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby rocked backward and then forward once more - with that same grin refusing to leave her face.

"If I ask questions about myself - my old self - will you answer them? I won't freak out, I promise!" Ruby added when Weiss opened her mouth to express hesitation.

At this point, was there any point in keeping the past from Ruby? If she wanted to know...if she was willing to ask the questions and hear the answers...then why shouldn't Weiss give them to her?

"I guess you hardly freaked out about me being your partner…" Weiss replied, growing more certain in her answer by the second. "So yes. I will."

"Great! This'll be fun! It'll be a test of how well you know, er, _knew_ me! I'll start with the _most_ important question. What was my favorite flavor of ice cream?"

Ah - these _were_ easy questions. Weiss knew the answer as easily as she knew her last name.

"Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. Or Smushed Grimm, depending on your mood."

"Those are both _great_! I think I've liked Smushed Grimm since I was like two. What about favorite type of cookie?"

"Snickerdoodle."

"Snakerdoodles? No wayyyy!" Ruby cried out before laughing merrily. "That doesn't seem right. It's chocolate chip, for sure."

"Noted," Weiss replied, dipping her head. This time it didn't bother her one bit that that piece of Ruby had changed. If anything, it only made it more difficult to become a master of all things Ruby - something Weiss once prided herself in being. And one day, she would be again.

"Favorite thing to eat? Like for dinner?"

"Spaghetti."

"Because you can't mess with something perfect. Oh! Is that why you make such good spaghetti?"

Flushing when Ruby put two-and-two together, Weiss averted silver eyes while answering.

"I may have made it more than a few times..." she hedged in response, causing Ruby to beam before searching for another question.

"Favorite...time of day?"

"Night, usually."

"That's funny! Now I'm a morning person."

"I am too," Weiss replied with a smile. The two of them shared an equal look of curiosity - both trying to figure out what might have caused that change - before Ruby shook her head and carried on.

"Favorite memory of the two of us?"

This time when Weiss opened her mouth to respond, no words came out.

"That's...hard to decide…" she said while scouring her mind. There were so many moments marked as her favorites. The day Ruby made Weiss skip classes for the first time. Their first kiss. The moment Ruby said 'yes.' Their second first kiss. The list went on and on...and kept growing.

"Ok, how about favorite memory with the two of us and either Blake or Yang, but only one of them."

The oddly specific question made Weiss chuckle while trying to think of an answer. It was rare that the two girls weren't together, which severely narrowed down the selection.

"Most of the time when Blake and Yang are apart, they're moody about missing each other," she explained.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. It was cute though. Especially before they were officially dating."

"I can't even imagine them not dating! They're perfect for each other!"

"That's what everyone else thought," Weiss replied with a shake of her head. "Unfortunately, it's not always so simple."

It had been incredibly obvious to the rest of Beacon, yet somehow the two girls took an eternity to get on the same page with their feelings. It had taken a spurt of courage and determination on Yang's behalf, plus just a _little_ bit of meddling, to finally create the couple who would test the limits on public displays of affection.

"I can understand," Ruby added with a cheerful grin. "I definitely didn't understand how I felt about _you_ for a long time!"

"But it all worked out in the end," Weiss added, to which Ruby nodded enthusiastically. While Yang eventually succeeded in breaking through Blake's walls, Ruby easily hurdled every barrier Weiss had set up protecting her heart. The two sisters were undaunted by any setbacks - a part of their personalities that shone through more often than not.

"Anyway," Weiss continued after a slight pause. "I do have one though. Yang was sick with a nasty flu, so you, me, and Blake headed out on a trial hunt without her. A trial hunt was monitored by one of the professors, so if we got into real trouble, they would help us. We were tasked with finding and killing ten Ursa - a decently-sized objective at the time. Well, we found thirty."

"Oh no," Ruby replied with wide eyes. "Did we have to get rescued?"

The concern made Weiss laugh.

"You'd think so. If Professor Goodwitch had been in charge, she would've had us out of there in a heartbeat. But Professor Oobleck is a tad more...unconventional. He left us to see what we could do."

Recalling the memory, Weiss could still feel the momentary confusion and panic when they realized just how large the den was that they'd stumbled upon. Personally, she'd expected their professor to show up at any second to bail them out, but as precious time ticked away it became clear that wasn't going to happen...

"You have to understand that up until this point, Yang was our primary damage dealer," Weiss tried to explain so that Ruby could understand why this memory was significant. "She was the one who barreled into them. You dealt secondary waves of damage while Blake and I acted from the periphery. Without Yang, we didn't have that shield in front of us drawing their attention. But we killed them all anyway."

"We did?" Ruby's eyes twinkled in excitement at the story, which only made Weiss happier in telling it.

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "We figured out a way."

"Why's that your favorite memory?"

"Well, again, there's not many to choose from where Yang's not whining like a child or Blake's not silently moping, but that was one of the moments when I think we realized what we were capable of. Even taking one of us away, we adapted and overcame."

"So we don't need Yang after all!" Ruby playfully cheered.

"That's right. And believe me, I reminded her of that _constantly_ for the next few weeks. 'Why are you even here again? It's not like we can't kill thirty Ursa without you.'" Imitating the more haughty voice of her past, Weiss grinned when Ruby laughed.

"But we're much better with her," Weiss added for clarity's sake - and in case Blake was actually awake and listening.

"It's so weirdddd not being able to remember this stuff," Ruby said, briefly scratching her temple but grinning regardless. "All this time I didn't even try to think about what was knocked outta me. It's too bad. Sounds like I lost some great stuff."

It was in this moment where Weiss expected Ruby to display some level of sorrow over what had happened, but the moment passed without a hint of pain. Instead, Ruby leaned forward again, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"So how'd we do it?"

Weiss nearly laughed out loud at the question. Of course Ruby was interested in the strategic side of things.

"You rushed through them in a pattern." Using one finger, Weiss traced that pattern in the air. "You were flying faster than we'd seen before, weaving through them over and over again. It broke them apart and prevented them from grouping up or moving - like you'd rounded them up with ten different lassos at the same time. Blake and I were able to fight through them group-by-group while you whittled them down from the sides. It worked perfectly."

No Yang, no problem.

That was also the first moment Weiss could remember being so...proud...of Ruby. She wasn't jealous. She wasn't resentful. She was very, very proud. That was her partner - her leader, her friend. And Ruby was just beginning to show what she was capable of accomplishing.

Leaning back, Ruby sighed in longing. "Man, I wish I could see that...oh! Do you think Beacon kept a video?"

"They...might have? Honestly, I'm not sure. If there is a video, I've never seen it."

"Ah, I see," Ruby said with a quick nod before her eyes darted off to one side. After biting her lip, she stretched over to the side table and picked up the map builder Weiss had sent her home with earlier that day.

"So, uh, I was playing around with this earlier," Ruby said, tapping the back of it against her hand.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"It's tons of fun! I built a new map and saved it."

"We can try it out later," Weiss offered, tilting her head in interest of Ruby's rapidly changing behavior.

"Cool."

The lack of an exclamation point proved Weiss' suspicion - something was off. Ruby was now behaving as if she felt...guilty...about something. But what was the guilt for?

"I, uh, I also saw that there were some saved videos on here."

When Ruby waved the device through the air, Weiss froze. How had she forgotten those?

"Right...the room records every simulation so it can be replayed later," she explained slowly, testing Ruby's reaction. "We used them for training and fine-tuning our strategies."

But Ruby already knew what Weiss was talking about, because...

"I watched 'em," Ruby admitted before quickly adding, "Just one! Or a couple. But only one of the saved ones!"

"Which one?" Weiss asked while her cheeks rapidly heated up.

"The first one," Ruby answered, clicking on the device and quickly navigating through the screens. Turning it around, she pointed to the video at the top of the list. "'The Horde.'"

"That's a good one…" Weiss mumbled, rubbing her hands together in unease.

Why was this so embarrassing? It wasn't like they were doing anything other than fighting in these videos.

But they were _videos_. It was as close as they could ever get to seeing their relationship again - all playing out in real time. If Ruby watched...what did she think of how they'd once been? Had it freaked her out or made her feel uncomfortable?

Rationally, Weiss understood that Ruby said 'I love you' _after_ watching the videos, so what was the real problem here? That they showed the past? Or did her hesitation stem from the fact that she hadn't remembered they were there, and thus hadn't been mentally prepared for the revelation?

"'Good?'" Ruby repeated, her expression incredulous. "It's _great_! I mean, I can't believe how awesome we were!"

The use of past tense made Weiss flinch, but Ruby didn't seem at all disturbed by how far they'd fallen. If anything, she was...excited. And Ruby's excitement eased the pain and embarrassment right out of Weiss' system.

"I think we were too," Weiss whispered in response, managing a small smile that - for once - didn't feel forced.

"Can we watch it?" Ruby suddenly asked with hopeful eyes. "Will you watch with me? I have a ton of questions!"

"Questions?"

"Yeah! Like how we did this stuff." Pressing play, Ruby scooted over and sat beside Weiss in the middle of the bed, their shoulders and legs touching. "You're so cute, by the way! Look at you all nervous!"

"I wasn't nervous," Weiss immediately refuted, but Ruby just laughed at the lie while the video counted down to the beginning of the simulation.

"Can you tell me what's going on? Like what're you thinking now?"

Right now, Weiss was thinking that she couldn't believe they were watching this together, but she doubted that's what Ruby wanted to know. Looking down at the screen and watching carefully, Weiss could practically put herself back in those shoes - feeling the surge of anticipation and growing focus that was ready to spring into action.

"They're spawning randomly. We're listening for the direction the first group will come from. We stand back-to-back so we can pinpoint the direction," Weiss explained, clenching her left hand into a loose fist when the first Grimm spawned around the edge of the map.

"They're in front of you, but you didn't say anything!" Ruby pointed out while gesturing towards the screen.

"I didn't, but I stepped forward in the right direction - that's how you knew."

"Oh! That's super smart! But now? What's happening now?"

Weiss watched the first Beowolf break through the tree line and tear towards them with reckless abandon.

"We have a rhythm," she narrated while Ruby swept the first Grimm off its feet and destroyed it with a backward swing of Crescent Rose. The next Beowolf fell an instant after with the third right behind it - a blast of red wiping the initial foes from the map. The fourth enemy Weiss engaged and mortally wounded while Ruby flew over her head to the fifth.

Watching the sequence unfold made her heart ache in a deeply-rooted way.

"It's like a dance," she began again as two new groups burst through the trees. "Every dance has a certain cadence - one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three."

Their attacks lined up to the rhythm as Weiss counted, and the Beowolves quickly disappeared. They were instantly replaced by a growing number of Grimm - blending into one large group instead of smaller sections that could be quickly picked off. On screen, Ruby wordlessly signaled that they were moving into a different set of patterns.

"We've switched to a more complex attack arrangement," Weiss said, so drawn into the video that she nearly forgot that Ruby was waiting for an interpretation. By the time she reached out to show Ruby one of the movements, it had already passed - too quick to catch in real time. "There are a lot of small moves we're repeating here, creating a defensible space with just the two of us. We keep the Beowolves out of that space while attacking along the edges."

"Hold on," Ruby suddenly said, pressing pause before turning and laying down with her head on her pillow. She then patted the pillow next to her. Taking the hint, Weiss moved up the bed and laid down beside Ruby, close enough that they were just barely touching. When Ruby held the screen above them and pressed play, Weiss leaned close to Ruby's shoulder. The video resumed where it had left off, and the Grimm count kept growing.

"What did you just do?" Ruby asked, pointing to the screen - where a group of Beowolves had just disappeared.

"I froze them; you shattered them. That was a set move - you were moving into place the past few seconds."

The answer made Ruby sigh. "I'm gonna have to watch this a _ton_ more times to learn everything."

"I don't mind," Weiss replied. And she really didn't. Lying here, close to Ruby, discussing strategies as they once had, was something she'd willingly do for hours on end. It reminded her of when they were at Beacon - lying in bed while too tired to move from their most recent training, but their minds still going through a million thoughts per minute as they crafted the partners they had yet to become.

It was during moments like these that Weiss realized just how enthusiastic Ruby was about being a huntress. Not only enthusiastic, but clever - more clever than Weiss ever thought to give her credit for. But tonight, for what might be the first time, Weiss knew more about combat strategy than Ruby did.

When the last of the Beowolves disappeared and the simulation drew to a close, Weiss watched as Ruby lifted her up in the air and leaned in for a kiss - making her heart thumping longingly in the process. The video ended there, stopping tantalizingly close to when their lips would meet.

The map builder automatically returned to the menu of saved simulations, and Ruby set the device on the bed beside them.

"Do we have like...a list of moves?" she asked, both of them now staring up at the ceiling. "Can you write them down for me?"

"It's a long list, but I can make one for you."

"Do they have cool names?"

The question made Weiss laugh - mostly due to how obvious the answer seemed.

"You made most of them up, Ruby. Would you give them cool names?"

"Absolutely!"

"And they do. Although 'cool' might be subjective..."

The bed shifted as Ruby suddenly sat up and jumped off the bed. Saddened by the abrupt loss of company, Weiss propped herself up on her elbows and watched Ruby dig around the desk drawers before returning with a pen and notebook in her hands. The instant Ruby sat down again, she began writing furiously on the first page.

"We can practice them, right?" Ruby asked without looking up.

"Right now? Ruby, it's like 3 a.m."

"Not right now, but soon? I need to relearn this stuff!"

"You only need to relearn them if we're going out on hunts together…" Weiss' voice trailed off when Ruby stopped writing and looked at her expectantly.

"Will you? Go on hunts with me?"

The question made Weiss' heart thump against her rib cage. Like there was any chance she'd be able to say 'no' to that…

"Of course I will."

"Then we need to practice!" Ruby exclaimed before turning back to the notebook. "I need to learn these moves. We're gonna have to spend a _ton_ of time together. Which, ya know, I'd wanna do anyway, but this gives us something to work on!"

Her heart racing, Weiss sat up and looked at the diagrams rapidly appearing on the page.

"You want to be partners again?" she asked. The question drew Ruby's gaze again, only this time in confusion.

"What? Yeah, of course! I've wanted to be partners with you for like forever!" After flashing a genuine smile, Ruby turned her full attention back to the page and gave the most adorable little chuckle. "I've also wanted to kiss you for like forever. Guess all my wishes are coming true, huh?"

 _Ruby's_ wishes were coming true? What about Weiss'? Hers were being granted by the handful.

It wasn't that long ago that she'd lost the love of her life. Not only the love of her life, but her partner and her best friend. Everything. Yet, over the course of the past few weeks, Ruby had proven that miracles were worth wishing for. Because sometimes...they happened.

Elated with the most recent developments in their relationship, it was with an unflinching smile that Weiss watched Ruby diagram and perfectly recreate what they'd just watched. A few strands of hair fell into Ruby's eyes, but she brushed them out of the way and hardly paused her work. As she did so, Weiss felt her already rampant adoration growing.

She _loved_ watching Ruby work. There was something about her heightened level of concentration that Weiss had always found attractive. And it only applied to two topics - weapons and battle strategy.

Finally lifting the pen, Ruby rotated the notebook so that Weiss could see.

"What do you think about this? Instead of rotating clockwise in a circle, what if we thought of it more like a diamond with four bases like this -"

Eyes widening in surprise, Weiss listened while Ruby spilled combat genius in the form of crazy analogies and random thoughts that created a masterpiece. In that short amount of time, Ruby had taken their old maneuvers and turned them on their head, while also finding a more efficient way to operate.

So much for Weiss knowing more about battle strategy than Ruby - clearly, that was already a thing of the past. But it didn't bother Weiss in the slightest that Ruby had instantly reclaimed her throne as combat expert - especially not when Ruby dove back into note-taking only after taking Weiss' hand in her own.

"Ok, so was this part a move?" Ruby asked while showing Weiss another diagram.

"Yes, it was," she answered with a smile, giving Ruby's hand a soft squeeze. "You called it 'The Esquire.'"

"'The Esquire?'" Ruby repeated before bursting into giggles. "That's such a funny word!"

"That's what you thought at the time, too," Weiss replied, happily watching Ruby write the name across the top of the page before turning to a new one.

"Ok, can you show me where the next one starts?" Ruby asked while grabbing the map builder and turning it back on.

"Sure," Weiss replied, waiting patiently as Ruby set the device up again.

If she squinted from a distance, it might look like nothing had changed from last year. Except that so much had. This version of Ruby was different, but that wasn't a bad thing in the slightest. How long had it taken the two of them to admit their feelings the first time? And to get past their first kiss?

This Ruby was more willing to express those feelings, as if unwilling to risk anything being left unsaid. She was less modest. She was quick to affection - well, quicker than before. And, impossibly, she was more driven - something Weiss wouldn't have thought possible if she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes.

Two versions of Ruby, and Weiss was exceptionally fond of them both - in love with them both, actually.


	40. Chapter 40

**Winding down and wrapping up - only a handful of chapters left!**

* * *

The moment Ruby opened her eyes, she was excited. Her brain wasn't even entirely on yet so she didn't know _why_ she was excited, but she was excited.

It was going to be one of those days. Meaning a day of _complete awesome!_

Feeling something move on the bed beside her, she suddenly remembered exactly what she had to be excited about. Weiss. Weiss was still here! Still sleeping, and still here. Like right _here_ \- sleeping on the bed beside her.

Trying to settle down, Ruby slowly rolled onto her side so she could watch Weiss sleep. Who cared if it was creepy? She already decided that she didn't care what 'they' thought about her and Weiss' relationship. Maybe watching each other sleep was just something they did! Like pottery or painting or killing loads and loads of Grimm.

Plus, Weiss was so cute when she was sleeping. It'd be a low-level crime if Ruby _didn't_ watch! The way her lips stayed slightly parted while she breathed...the perfectly un-creased brow that had forgotten how to worry...the pure white hair drifting across her eyes - Ruby loved every little thing about her.

This was _the best_ way in the whole wide world to wake up. Nothing was better - literally nothing.

Except for kissing. That was better.

Remembering their kiss from last night, Ruby blushed.

Kissing was _way_ better. Glancing at Weiss' lips, she immediately looked away like she hadn't been planning anything. Which she hadn't been!

Ok, _maybe_ she kind of thought that _maybe_ she could kiss Weiss right now. Was that a crime too? Weiss was the one who said Ruby didn't need to ask! Weiss also said Ruby could do it _whenever_. That was pretty clear permission, right? That meant she could kiss Weiss right now, right?

Seemed like a pretty simple answer to her. Yes, she should do it.

Taking a deep breath and summoning an extra bit of courage, Ruby leaned closer - trying not to exhale while moving into Weiss' space. A few more inches and she could feel warm breaths of air slipping past Weiss' lips and brushing against her own. Running out of oxygen herself, she quickly moved the last few inches and placed an oh-so-delicate kiss to Weiss' lips.

When Weiss suddenly stirred, Ruby jerked away and stayed perfectly still while blushing more than a tomato that loved to be red.

Did she really just do that? She just did that! She totally kissed Weiss - and it was totally amazing.

Now she got the unexpected bonus of watching Weiss wake up - which was pretty amazing too. First, she shifted slightly. Then her eyes began to twitch, not in a scary possessed way, but in a waking up way. Her lips curled into a tiny smile before her eyes barely cracked open - revealing pretty blue that was disappearing and reappearing while she blinked in confusion.

"Good morning," Ruby whispered while intently watching Weiss' eyes, wondering if Weiss knew what just happened.

"Good morning," Weiss mumbled before letting out a long sigh followed by a big yawn. Shutting her mouth and giving her head a quick shake, she was able to keep her eyes open - already quite alert for just having woken up. "What's wrong?"

"What?" Ruby asked in surprise when blue eyes narrowed at her.

"You're blushing."

"I'm - totally not!" Ruby answered with a scoff before fanning at her cheeks. "It's just a little hot in here, don't ya think?"

After staring at Ruby for a few seconds, Weiss finally looked towards the window. Ruby's eyes followed - finding that it was already bright and sunny outside.

"What time is it?" Weiss asked, _thankfully_ dropping the subject of Ruby's rampant blush.

Rolling onto her other side, Ruby grabbed her scroll off the nightstand to check the time. Laughing when she saw what it was, she spun back to Weiss and held up the scroll.

"Late! Guess we stayed up pretty late though…"

The memory of last night made Ruby grin while butterflies appeared in her stomach. She'd confessed her feelings to Weiss, but Weiss returned them! The two of them were...in love.

Another round of butterflies swirled to life, and Ruby grinned even harder. She could _so_ get used to saying that.

"Think we can stay here all day?" Weiss whispered, placing one arm under her head like a pillow while laying on her side.

"You'd really stay here all day?"

"I will if you will."

The slight smile on Weiss' lips was a challenge - Ruby could sense it. Could she stay in the room all day? Just _thinking_ about it made her legs feel antsy, like they really, _really_ wanted to move. But no! She could definitely stay here all day. Or at least another few minutes.

Hearing a rumble in her stomach, Ruby sheepishly smiled while Weiss' smile grew into a full grin.

"Uh...any chance we could get food and come back?"

Laughing at the request, Weiss rolled out of bed and offered a hand to Ruby.

"Let's get you some food. You must be starving."

Groaning at her failure to stay here for longer than a half second, Ruby willingly took the offered hand and allowed Weiss to tug her to her feet.

"You can use the bathroom first. Oh! And your toothbrush is still there. You want to borrow more clothes too?"

"I think I'll stick with these, but thank you," Weiss replied before heading towards the bathroom - holding onto Ruby's hand and only letting it slip out of her grasp when she moved too far away.

Ruby _kind of_ stared while Weiss walked away, and she stared until Weiss disappeared behind the bathroom door. But she was allowed to stare, wasn't she?

Shaking her head, she went to the closet and threw on the first set of clothes her hands fell upon. Once dressed, she sat on the edge of the bed listening to the sound of water running and stopping - patiently waiting for Weiss the reappear.

Ruby kissed Weiss awake, and Weiss had no idea! How was that for the secret of the century? Ruby wanted to try that again though. Maybe she could do that _every_ morning. How long would it be before Weiss realized something was up?

Hearing the door unlatch, Ruby jumped to her feet and grinned the moment Weiss stepped into view.

"I'll be right back," she quipped before whizzing into the bathroom, but not before pausing by Weiss' side and placing a quick kiss to her cheek. Without staying for a reaction, she blew into the bathroom and shut the door behind her - a grin of success set in place.

Today was _definitely_ going to be a great day.

Wanting to get back to Weiss as quickly as possible, Ruby cut her morning routine in half. Timmy Too was disappointed, but he'd survive. He had company now, after all!

As soon as she finished getting ready, Ruby zipped out of the bathroom and found Weiss standing in the middle of the room - looking towards the window with a thoughtful expression on her face. When Ruby grew nearer, Weiss seemed to sense her presence and turned with a smile - a smile that made Ruby immediately reach out to pull Weiss into a hug. A good morning hug - because no morning was complete without hugging Weiss. At least, from here on out no morning would be complete without a hugging Weiss.

Sighing, Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby and hugged back. And it was so different from their first hug! This one was strong, unwavering, and immensely satisfying. It no longer felt like Weiss was trying to run away from the show of affection. Instead, she embraced it.

Ha - _embraced_ it. Get it? Ruby needed to remember that one for later! Yang would get a kick out of it.

Their hug only ended when Ruby's stomach made an even louder demand for food - making Weiss drop her arms and step away. But as she did so, she gave Ruby a happy smile - a beautifully-happy smile.

"Let's find you some food?"

The question was thoughtful and caring - everything Ruby expected Weiss to be. Nodding, she reached down to hold Weiss' hand while they headed towards the kitchen together.

Maybe Yang made breakfast even though Ruby was still sleeping! Sometimes Yang did that and left the leftovers on the stove to be reheated whenever Ruby woke up.

Crossing her fingers as they walked into the kitchen, her nose was greeted by the smell of bacon. _Yes_.

"Good morning!" she called out to Blake and Yang, pulling out a chair for Weiss before heading to the stove to collect her food.

"Good morning? It's almost lunchtime!" Yang replied before turning to Weiss. "And when did you get here?"

"Late last night," Blake muttered, heading to the stove while Ruby raced back to the table with a plate piled with bacon, eggs, and toast.

"You knew this?" Yang asked, turning in her chair to track Blake.

"I thought she was a burglar."

Yang let out a delighted laugh.

"Hopefully not a _cat_ burglar," she joked, cringing when Blake sent her a glare and quickly turning back to Weiss. "Yeesh. But you got to meet our security system, huh? How would you rate it on a scale of one to very scary?"

"Startling and a bit painful," Weiss answered, briefly rubbing at her collarbone. Reaching over, Ruby patted the top of Weiss' hand and silently begged for forgiveness. She still felt so bad for falling asleep! That's why she should never close her eyes in bed. Unless she wanted to sleep, then she should probably close her eyes. Watching someone else sleep wasn't creepy, but sleeping with her eyes open definitely was.

Nudging her plate towards Weiss and motioning that she would share, Weiss shook her head and waved Ruby away.

That's right - Weiss didn't eat much when she first woke up. Ruby needed to remember that! That was something a partner should know.

As Ruby shoveled a big forkful of eggs into her mouth, Yang leaned towards them and raised one hand to cover a whisper.

"You should've heard Blake when we said we wanted a guard dog."

From across the room, Blake let out a dismissive scoff.

"There's nothing a dog can do that I can't do a thousand times better."

Grinning at the reply, Yang leaned back in her chair and said, "Of course, Blake - I agree with you one hundred percent!" Behind Blake's back, Yang shook her head and raised one finger to her lips.

When Ruby giggled, Blake sent them a suspicious glance - causing Yang to look innocently up towards the ceiling. As soon as Blake turned away, Yang reached out and playfully pinched Ruby in the side for giving away the tease. That only made her giggle _more_ while squirming away from her sister's hands.

Walking back to the table - or more like _sulking_ back to the table - Blake set a mug in front of Weiss before sitting in her own chair and wrapping both hands around a steaming cup of tea. Before Blake could take the first sip, however, Yang rested one arm on the chair behind her and the air suddenly grew uncomfortably warm.

Ruby scooted closer to Weiss to escape the heat, but Blake sank into her seat and sighed.

"You're lucky you're hot," she grumbled, trying to sound disgruntled but smiling into her cup when Yang laughed.

When Yang leaned over and kissed Blake on the cheek, Ruby glanced at Weiss.

What would Yang and Blake say if Ruby kissed Weiss on the cheek right now? Would they freak out? Or would Yang bury Ruby in embarrassment? It might be worth it. The look of surprise on Yang's face would probably be _epic_.

"What brought you over so late?" Yang asked, making Ruby completely forget what she'd been plotting.

How would Weiss answer that question?

"Ruby asked me to come over."

Ah, clever! The response was honest but didn't give much information.

"Uh huh…"

But it was also so generic that Yang wasn't going to let it go...

"We had things to talk about!" Ruby piped in. "So we talked about them and then went to sleep!"

Wiggling her eyebrows at Ruby, Yang seemed willing to drop the subject...for now. But this table just got a little more dangerous in the embarrassment department. There was a shark in the water...

"So Weiss, you gonna hang out?" Yang asked instead. "There might be food left if Ruby didn't just eat it all."

"There's still some left!" Ruby whined. She made sure to leave enough so that Weiss could eat too! She wasn't _that_ greedy.

"Actually…" Weiss replied, giving Ruby an apologetic expression. "I should probably get going. I have quite a bit of work that should be done by this afternoon. I've been severely neglecting that responsibility..."

"But we can hang out later today?" Ruby immediately asked.

"Of course. And if I get enough done, I can clear the next few days to spend with you."

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed, pumping one fist in excitement. "Please do that! I promise not to bother you at all so you can work super hard!"

The two of them smiled at each other until Ruby noticed Yang's grin growing dangerously big. A tease was on the horizon if something didn't distract her - and quick!

Pushing her chair away from the table, Ruby shot to her feet and gestured to Weiss' cup.

"Can I get you more tea first?"

After tilting the cup towards her, Weiss shook her head. "I'm good, thank you."

Darn. Delay tactic failed.

"Then can I walk you out?" Ruby offered while Weiss stood from the table.

"That's my sister! So gentlemanly!"

"At least one of you is polite," Weiss commented offhandedly to Yang, never dropping the smile she had for Ruby while they stepped away from the table and headed to the front door.

"Sorry I have to leave early," Weiss said softly as they stepped outside.

"Don't worry about it!" After closing the door behind them, Ruby turned to Weiss and smiled. "I know you're busy and all. But...thanks again for coming over last night."

That was probably the tenth time she'd thanked Weiss for that, but there were probably another ten on the way! Especially with how perfectly the night turned out...Ruby never would've thought that something so magical could happen so easily. Almost like it was meant to be...

"Ruby...you don't need to thank me. I love spending time with you."

That word again. It made Ruby's cheeks light up every time!

"And I love spending time with you too," she whispered in return. There was a short pause when she considered asking if they could kiss again, but she wasn't supposed to ask anymore! At least, that's what Weiss kept saying. So Ruby stooped down and closed her eyes - and this time Weiss met her lips in the middle.

Kissing Weiss was _amazing_.

Was this what kissing was always like? No wonder Yang and Blake did it so much. Something about Weiss' lips filled Ruby with this light, airy feeling - like she could float right off the ground with joy. It combined with this building desire within her that became overwhelming really quickly, like she wanted to meld together with Weiss right there on the front porch.

Pulling away and coughing into one hand, Ruby felt her cheeks burning with a blush. Was she going to blush every time? She couldn't help it though - it was so grown up! And it made her heart get all fluttery and fast.

Resting a hand on Ruby's collar and mindlessly smoothing the fabric of her shirt, Weiss let out a content sigh.

"You're really good at that," she whispered before removing her hand and stepping away.

"Yeah? You think so?" Ruby asked with unconcealable delight. That was something she never expected to be good at!

"I do," Weiss answered while taking another step away from the house, towards the taxi that had arrived without Ruby noticing. "I'll see you later?"

It looked like Weiss didn't want to leave, and Ruby didn't want her to go, but the work stuff...

"Yes!" she replied anyway, not wanting Weiss to feel guilty for having other responsibilities. "I can't wait!"

With another shared smile, Weiss finally turned and hurried to the taxi. The vehicle drove around the corner and out of sight, leaving Ruby to trudge back inside and close the door with a sigh.

It sucked when Weiss left.

Meanwhile, Yang and Blake sat at the table _pretending_ they hadn't been paying attention to Ruby and Weiss' goodbye. Only it was obvious that they had been, so why did they even bother trying?

"I know you were listening!" Ruby told them as she walked back to the table to put away her dishes.

" _I_ wasn't listening! I can't hear through closed doors!" Yang protested, but her look of innocence disappeared when she smirked. "But Blake can. And she narrated. I listened to _her_."

Rolling her eyes, Ruby left her dishes in the washer and went back to the table to clear it off. The silence would end with a joke soon. Very soon. Three...two...one...

"Ruby and Weiss, sittin' in a tree -" Yang began singing.

"Come on, Yang. Cut it out," Ruby whined, blushing while whacking her sister on the back of the shoulder.

"Weiss sure looked happy this morning," Blake commented while handing Ruby the plate she gestured for.

"Really? You think so?"

"I do." The next second, Blake's innocent smile grew into a not-so-innocent grin. "What'd you two do last night that made her so happy?"

"What?" Ruby yelped when Yang started laughing. "N-nothing! We just talked!"

"About how much you loveeee each other."

Yang's words made Ruby blush even more. Curse her easily-embarrassed cheeks!

"About strategies! She was teaching me our moves!"

That only made Yang laugh louder, and Ruby blushed even harder. "Our battle moves!" she corrected while dumping the remaining dishes in the sink. "She was teaching me our - oh nevermind!"

Throwing both hands in the air, she stalked away from the kitchen.

"Aw, Ruby come back! Come back." Reaching out, Yang grabbed Ruby's hand to keep her from walking away. Ruby narrowed her eyes while Yang tried to stop laughing and force a straight face.

"If you _really_ want help," Yang said before a giggle slipped out. "I can teach you some of Blake and I's moves."

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, yanking her arm away while Yang started laughing again.

"I should warn you though - Blake's super flexible!"

When Ruby wrinkled her nose, Blake slowly shook her head at Yang. Noticing the reaction, Yang raised both hands in the air and said, "What? You are!"

"Don't listen to her, Ruby. It's great that you and Weiss are -" Pausing mid-sentence, Blake covered her mouth as a yawn slipped out.

"Aww...do you need a nap later?"

"Don't say it," Blake warned. Beaming, Yang didn't say anything aloud, but turned to Ruby and mouthed the words 'cat nap' with an added wink. But Yang was so un-sneaky that Blake caught the gesture and narrowed her eyes.

"Between last night and this morning, you're on pretty thin ice."

What sounded like a stern warning only made Yang beam brighter. "I know, isn't it great? I can't wait to see what happens!"

Blake shook her head while Ruby did the same.

"You two are such weirdos," Ruby concluded before heading to her room - no longer needed in this conversation.

"You and Weiss will be just like us one day - you'll see!" Yang called out after her.

That wasn't true though! Ruby and Weiss would never be such big nerds!

Briefly stopping in her room, Ruby grabbed the map builder and her notebook before heading back to the living room and collapsing on the sofa. The notebook was filled with squiggly lines, random notes, and tons of awesome ideas. She learned _so much_ from Weiss last night - and now she was convinced Weiss was an actual genius. She was also a great teacher! She was so patient answering all of Ruby's questions...even though there were a lot of them.

Ignoring her two roommates - who were quietly talking amongst themselves in the kitchen - Ruby flipped through the notes from last night to see how much she remembered. Surprisingly, she remembered a lot of it! But knowing it on paper was different from knowing it in the heat of battle. She needed practice. Tons of it.

After her injury, she started her training with the moves she'd learned when she was younger. Those were the only ones she remembered, and even those were difficult to re-master. First, she re-built her strength from practically nothing. Then she perfected those moves again. Then Blake and Yang taught her some more advanced stuff, and she learned some more from the books Yang gave her to read.

Creating Thorn allowed her to make up a few combat strategies on her own, but the maneuvers on these videos were _completely_ new. Not only that, but they were complicated. Like, next level stuff.

Just goes to show that there's always more to learn!

Briefly checking her scroll for messages, she remembered that she needed to give Weiss time to work today. If she worked hard enough, they'd get the next few days together! That was worth a little bit of silence. Plus, Ruby had more than enough to do with what Weiss left her.

Only after reading through her notes three times did Ruby set down the notebook down and pick up the map builder. Choosing one of the videos she and Weiss went through last night, she watched the simulation in slow motion. At half speed, she picked up so many more details! Full speed was _way_ too fast for her to catch any of the intricate movements that were happening. Quarter speed would probably be even easier...she'd try that next.

Balancing the device on her knee, she picked up the notebook and started writing down her thoughts and ideas while the video progressed. Everything seemed perfect and iron tight, but there were little details she was noticing...and there was a change they could make!

Rewinding the video, she played through the same segment multiple times before finally writing down her suggestion and drawing a small star beside it so she could find it later. What they did before was perfect, but things were different now. She had Thorn now, and Thorn changed a lot.

After writing down that thought, she turned to a blank page and started a list of questions for Weiss. She already had three - no, four - just from this first run-through.

Now she'd watch the video again.

And again.

She was so absorbed in the videos that she didn't notice anything happening around her until Yang sat a snack right in front of her. Snapping out of her focused haze, she managed to say "thank you" while grabbing a handful of crackers and going back to work.

Yang stayed to read a magazine, then disappeared sometime later. Honestly, Ruby was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't even notice when her sister left the room. Her list of questions for Weiss had grown quite long though - multiple pages by now!

When her scroll suddenly buzzed on the sofa cushion beside her, she jumped in surprise. Speak of the - angel! It was Weiss!

 _'I'll be done in a couple of hours. When can I see you?'_

Beaming at the best news all day, Ruby replied with _'Come over as soon as you can!'_ before setting down her scroll. If there were any doubts in her mind about Weiss wanting to time with her, they were rapidly disappearing. The fact that Weiss would go out of her way to clear the next few days for them to be together meant a lot - actually spending that time together would mean even more!

After all, they had a lot of catching up to do. If Ruby started another list of questions about Weiss and their past, an entire notebook would fill up in no time. There was no need to rush, but Ruby wanted to. It was like a batch of cookies fresh from the oven. Sure, she could wait and have some after they cooled off, but they were best when they were still warm and gooey. Why not eat them all right away?

...that was supposed to mean that she should ask Weiss all the questions as soon as possible. Just like she should eat all the cookies as soon as possible.

Finally taking a break towards the end of the day, Ruby set everything aside and leaned against the back of the sofa with a sigh. While her brain decompressed all the information she'd just jammed inside, she picked up the end of her necklace and looked down at the ring hanging on it.

It was crazy that it was only a year ago that they were _this_ close.

Holding the diamond ring between two fingers, Ruby grinned and reached behind her neck to unclasp the chain. When the necklace fell free, she slid the ring off and held it in her palm before lifting it up to look at.

Honestly, romance had been the last thing on her mind for like...forever. She'd never considered being _together_ with someone. Or loving someone outside of family. The idea of marrying someone hadn't even entered her mind, but that's what she'd agreed to do. She'd agreed to spend the rest of her life with Weiss. To spend _eternity_ together.

Glancing at the etching inside the band, she smiled at the singular word that had once caused her so much confusion. Slipping the ring onto her finger without a second thought, she held her hand out in front of her to see it. And promptly got goosebumps.

Well. Who knew she was the romantic type?

When three loud knocks suddenly hit the front door, she hastily removed the ring and shoved it into her pocket with the empty chain.

"I got it!" she yelled towards the hallway before rushing over to see who it was. Maybe it was Weiss!

Her excitement turned to confusion the instant she pulled open the door.

"Uh...hi?"

"What's _up_ , wiggle butt?" a girl with orange hair said before bouncing inside and giving Ruby a slightly painful knock on the shoulder.

"...what?"

Bewildered, Ruby followed the girl - who strolled into the living room like she lived here. Which...she didn't, did she?

Oh, this was one of the girls Ruby met at The Beacon Invite! But what was her name? Why was Ruby so bad at remembering names?

"I'm so tiredddd," the girl whined before collapsing onto the sofa. A second later she popped back to her feet, not looking _at all_ tired despite what she just said. "Hey! When can you show me how to do that crazy thing you do with Crescent Rose now?"

"Uh, what crazy thing?"

"You know." The girl made hand motions like she was throwing something then caught it again. "I want that! Make it for me too!"

Who was this girl? She was kind of demanding and crazy.

"Ruby, who -" Yang froze when she walked into the living room and found their unexpected visitor. "Nora? What are you doing here?"

Nora! That's right. The one with hugs of steel.

"I came to visit my pal Ruby!" Nora replied, slinging an arm around Ruby's shoulders and tugging her close. "That's allowed, right? Cuz you guys were at the tournament, so I figured it was ok now!"

Ruby looked at Nora and then at Yang - who looked like she had no idea what to do. At least they were on the same page! Ruby remembered meeting Nora at Beacon but hadn't expected to see her again - let alone in their home.

Before Yang could respond, her scroll started buzzing.

"Hold on. _Stay there_ ," Yang ordered, pointing at Nora like that would freeze her in place. But as soon as Yang turned away, Nora started walking around the room again.

"This place is awesome! I had trouble finding it cuz I didn't remember the address. Knocked on about a hundred doors before you answered!"

Unsure what was going on, Ruby alternated between making sure Nora didn't do anything crazy and turning to Yang for guidance.

"Yeah, she's here," Yang said before briefly glancing at Ruby. "Uh...yeah. In a few minutes. Thanks."

Hanging up the call, Yang slipped her scroll into her pocket and turned back to Nora.

"Ren's on his way to get you."

"Yay! Then it'll be a party!" Freezing in one place, Nora gasped. "We _should_ have a party! Can we do that? You should! A party celebrating Ruby! And me! But also Ruby."

While Nora beamed at them, Ruby stared in open-mouthed wonder.

People said that _she_ was hyper? How many cakes had this girl eaten? Fifteen? Because that would be a new record!

"So...why are you here?" Ruby asked hesitantly, watching Nora flip through Yang's magazines without reading a single word. The question made her drop the magazine in her hands onto the floor.

"Oh! I completely forgot!" Racing out the front door, Nora reappeared seconds later dragging an enormous hammer that she then dropped on the ground with a thud that shook the walls.

"He's brokennn!" she wailed, suddenly on the verge of tears while she touched the weapon and tapped at a jammed part. "I need you to fix 'im! If you don't, Jaune will be better than me. Jaune!"

Yang scoffed at the dramatic response and shook her head.

"I _really_ doubt that…" she muttered under her breath while Ruby stared at the gleaming weapon sitting in the middle of their floor.

This girl was a little crazy and maybe psychotic, but her weapon was _so cool!_

"Wow! What _is_ this?" Ruby asked, kneeling down to look at the hammer more closely. It was shiny and awesome, that's what it was! And pink! That was pretty cool too.

Standing up, she tried to lift the weapon off the ground with one hand only to find that it was stuck. Stuck or really, really heavy. Using both hands, she nearly strained every muscle in her back and only managed to scoot it a couple of inches across the floor.

"What the heck is it made of?" she huffed, giving up and putting her hands on her hips.

"The _tears of my enemies!_ " Nora crowed before lifting the weapon off the floor like it was a feather. "And I dunno...metal and stuff..."

"Uh...ok, well if you carry it into the garage, I'll take a look at it," Ruby offered while pointing to the garage door.

"Yes! You're the best!" Skipping over to the door, Nora pulled it open with an audible groan of hinges and disappeared through the doorway.

After Ruby shared a quick glance with Yang, the two of them followed Nora into the garage - where she was already picking up anything within arm's reach.

"Be careful with that!" Rushing over, Ruby removed the potentially dangerous, unfinished weapon from Nora's hands and set it carefully in a drawer. After removing a few other fragile or shiny objects from sight, she pored over the giant weapon laying across the workbench.

Huntsmen weapons were so awesome. Their uniqueness made them incredible to _look_ at, let alone take apart and fix!

"Still can't stop touching things, can you?" Yang commented, leaning casually against the door and shaking her head.

"That's a good thing! Remember that time I picked up a golden apple worth three thousand Lien?"

"Uh, no. Because that didn't happen."

Leaning over the workbench, Nora loudly whispered, "But it _could_ have."

"But it didn't."

Brow furrowing, Nora turned to Yang with a world-class pout. "When did you become so unfun?"

"What? I'm _way_ more fun than you!"

"Oh yeah?" Hopping down from her seat, Nora walked over to Yang without an ounce of fear. "Prove it!"

She was a little ball of fire! Not scared to fight Yang? Either she was an awesome fighter or out of her mind. From what Ruby had seen so far, she was leaning towards the second one...

"How did you even do this?" Ruby interrupted before the two girls got into a wrestling match or something. Taking the side of a huge wrench, she hit the broken piece of metal as hard as she could in an effort to unjam it from the plating. It was really stuck!

"I jumped on the back of a Death Stalker! Its stinger hit right there."

"Are you serious?"

"And then a Nevermore flew into the same spot! Whabam! Knocked itself right out!"

Jaw dropped, Ruby stared. What was she even supposed to say to that?

Letting out a loud sigh, Yang shoved away from the door. "I'm going to wake up Blake. Ruby, don't believe anything she says. And Nora - try to behave."

"Ha. Behaveeeeee…" Shaking her head, Nora pointed her thumb towards where Yang had just been standing. "She's one to talk!"

"That's super true!" Ruby agreed with a laugh before opening a drawer and scrounging around inside.

Finding what she was searching for, she pulled out another tool and loosened some nearly invisible latches to release pressure on the jammed section of metal. Re-taking her perch on the stool, Nora watched intently. Well...intently for a few seconds before getting distracted by something, then intently again after the distraction passed.

"So we knew each other?" Ruby asked while she worked.

" _Know_ , silly." Kicking her feet in the air, Nora grinned.

"Uh, yeah, but how?"

"Your team and my team! We're team BFFs!"

"Oh, so Team RUBY -"

"RWBY," Nora corrected.

"Right. That's what I said."

"No, you said RUBY, but it's RWBY."

"Those sound exactly the same!"

"But you can't forget Weiss!"

"Of course I'm not forgetting Weiss!" Ruby insisted.

Smiling, Nora shrugged.

"It's RWBY," she concluded, as if she somehow just won whatever argument that had been. Shaking her head in complete bewilderment, Ruby decided to let it go.

"Ok, so...my team...and Team…"

"JNPR!"

"Oh yeah! Weiss has mentioned you guys!" Ruby replied when the name struck a bell. "Who's on your team again?"

"Well let's see," Nora said, leaning so far back on the stool that Ruby briefly worried she might fall off backwards. "There's our captain, the tall blonde beanpole named...Jasper. His partner is Pyr-ahna. She's got red hair, a javelin, and loves to bite people. My partner is Ren - the one who doesn't talk. Ren the Silent, we call him. Then there's me! Nora the Incredible - Destroyer of Grimm and All Evil Things, Plus Super Beautiful!"

Ok, so maybe Ruby was a _little_ gullible sometimes, but there's no way she'd fall for _that_! There were only about three words of truth in that entire spiel.

Or...maybe Nora's thing was that she pretended _not_ to tell the truth while _actually_ telling the truth. In which case, she was a straight up genius!

Making a mental note to ask someone else about Team JNPR later on, Ruby decided to move on. If anything, Nora was friendly and she'd known Ruby at Beacon so might have some good stories. Not that they'd be true, but they'd be good!

"We've known each other for a long time then," Ruby surmised while tossing a useless screwdriver onto the workbench and deciding to pull out the big guns - meaning, she got out Thorn and decided to yank at the broken part by hand.

"Since first year! We lived across the hall from each other."

"Oh cool! So we must've seen each other all the time!"

"Only _all_ the time," Nora repeated happily.

"Then you knew Weiss and me when we just met!"

The moment Ruby made that realization, the weapon finally cooperated and she nearly smacked herself in the face pulling the broken part free. Nora made a gleeful noise at the progress while leaning back on the stool again - using the very tips of her fingers to keep herself from toppling off.

"Youuuu betcha! Got to see everyone get super duper close!"

The phrase perked Ruby's attention. "Close how?" she asked, briefly glancing up from the weapon she was now trying to fit back together.

"Everyone was falling in love! You and Weiss, Yang and Blake, Pyrrha and Jaune...Ren and I watched it allllll happen! If only Cardin and Slark had gotten together - that would've been the best."

"Slark? What kind of name is Slark?"

"Right? What kind of name _is_ Slark?" Nora giggled and shook her head with a goofy grin. "It's so weird."

"Then you saw us...falling in love?" Ruby repeated, skipping over whatever _that_ was.

"Oh yeah. Everyone did! It was only _completely_ obvious."

"Obvious how?"

Even though Ruby knew not to _completely_ trust anything Nora said, she still wanted to hear about the version of Weiss she couldn't remember. It might be wrong, but it'd be better than nothing. If anything, it'd give her some great questions to ask Weiss later! Plus, getting an outsider's perspective could be cool.

"You two were _always_ together," Nora answered, reaching out for a pair of pliers that Ruby swiped away at the last second. "Glued to the tips! Or was it hips? But Weiss was so nice to you! Like, wayyy nicer than she was to me. I was soooo jealous. She gave you presents that I wanted, but Ren kept saying they weren't for me and I shouldn't ask you for them. One time you shared your ice cream with me though!"

"Ice cream?"

"Yeah! She bought you like...an entire ice cream store!"

Did that sound like something Weiss would do? Buy an entire ice cream store? Or maybe it was just a _lot_ of ice cream?

"She got me gifts then," Ruby replied, a smile growing as she imagined it. It fit with Weiss' generosity. And how cute would that be? Hopefully she'd given Weiss little gifts in return.

"Yeah! And then you had that look - just like that one! The Goofy Love Smile, I call it. 'The GLoS' for short. Everywhere you went, it was The GLoS over and over again. The GLoS here, The GLoS there. Finally, you shouted it from the rooftops! Then you two were together. That was it! Happily ever after."

"From the rooftops?" Ruby asked dubiously, but Nora nodded.

"It was awesome!"

It _sounded_ awesome, but maybe a little _too_ awesome. Ruby made another mental note to ask Weiss how they'd actually asked each other out, but this was a great start! Goofy Love Smiles and rooftops...seemed like it was pretty romantic!

"I think I fixed it!" she called out when she felt the successful snap of a piece clicking into its spot. Stepping back, she pointed to the small flap that was now back in place. "Try not to let any Death Stalkers or Nevermores hit it again."

"Yes!" Nora cried out, picking up the hammer and swinging it around the small garage with frightening speed. Satisfied with the results, she set it back on the workbench and shoved it towards Ruby.

"Now can you make it bigger? More powerful? More _explosions_?" Nora asked, setting her chin in her hands and looking at her weapon with stars in her eyes. "I want Grimm to see him and cower in fear!"

The expression of pure glee on Nora's face made Ruby laugh.

"You're kinda funny," she commented with a grin.

"You mean dangerous and beautiful! And amazing! And awesome!"

"Uh, right. Of course," Ruby replied, shaking her head in amusement before looking at the weapon once more. Were there alterations that could be made?

"Can you add fire? I want fire. It's no fair that Yang's fists can become fire! Then the two of us - we're stuck using our brains." Nora slumped onto the workbench before perking back up and laughing. "I doubt you believed that..."

Between the weapon and personality, Ruby _really_ wanted to see how Nora fought in an actual battle. It had to be incredible! Or insane. Maybe a combination of both...

"Maybe one day we'll get to fight together?" Ruby asked, smiling when the question made Nora unbelievably happy.

"Yes! Whenever you want! Wanna go right now? We'll find some bad 'ol Grimm and take 'em down. You slice 'em; I dice 'em! Or, you slice 'em _and_ dice 'em, and I'll pound them to smithereens!" Smacking one fist into her palm, Nora grinned.

"I don't think I can go right now," Ruby replied with a disbelieving chuckle at Nora's reaction. "But hopefully soon!"

And hopefully with other people around to chaperone. The two of them alone out in the forest might be just a tad terrifying. Would she have to keep Nora out of trouble? _Could_ she keep Nora out of trouble?

"Let's go real soon! See, this is why we should hang out more often! More awesome hunts and more awesome weapons!"

While Nora beamed at the prospect of hunts and weapons, Ruby was suddenly struck by the realization that Nora was her _friend_. Nora was someone she'd hung out with before. They could've had conversations just like this one, or maybe they _had_ gone on hunts together.

Grinning while a surge of happiness warmed her heart, Ruby looked at Nora's hammer and pointed to a particular piece.

"I think I can add some fire here," she said while flipping down a small cover to point to a hollow space inside. "How do you feel about a mini flamethrower?"

"I _love_ it! But not mini - full size! Or a jumbo one! Can you do it now?"

Laughing again, Ruby snapped a latch back in place and pushed the weapon to Nora.

"I'll have to do some research first, but I'll let you know what I find out."

"Nora!" Yang yelled before sticking her head back into the garage. "Your handler's here."

Gasping, Nora grabbed her weapon and shouted, "Ren!" before racing inside. Following Nora inside, Ruby found a lean boy with dark hair standing in the living room - talking to Blake while Nora pulled at his arm. When their eyes met, he gave Ruby a polite smile and nod.

"I'm sorry if she disturbed you. She slipped out of my sight incredibly fast."

"She fixed it, Ren! I knew she could fix it!" Nora proclaimed while throwing her arms around the boy's neck. Releasing him and dropping the hammer onto the ground, Nora raced over to Ruby and gave her a crushing hug.

"We should hang out!" Nora announced once she'd tested the strength of Ruby's ribs. "Can we hang out? Pleaseeeee?"

"Sure! That sounds like fun!"

"Yes! It's gonna be more fun than fun! We'll find some big Grimm! Like the _huge_ ones! We'll use our flamethrowers!"

Laughing, Ruby nodded and said "Absolutely!" while Nora bounced out the door. In the abrupt silence left in her wake, Ren turned towards them with another apologetic smile.

"She's wanted to see you ever since Beacon," he explained, his warm gaze never leaving Ruby's. "I'm fairly certain she broke her weapon so she had an excuse."

"Ren!" Racing back inside, Nora waved her hand and then disappeared once again.

"I should go," he said, giving a quick bow before following Nora outside. Trailing both of them, Yang waved before shutting the front door and slowly turning around to look at Ruby.

It felt like a tornado had just torn through their home.

"Is she a maniac?" Ruby finally asked. The question made Yang burst out laughing.

"I think she's been tested - right, Blake?"

When Blake smiled and nodded, Ruby grinned and added, "She's cool though! But how does she swing that hammer around? It's so heavy!"

"She's stronger than she looks."

Nodding at Blake's answer, Ruby couldn't fight a huge smile while bouncing on her toes with leftover excitement. A few weeks ago, she didn't have any friends except Yang and Blake. Now she had Weiss, and Nora too!

From what Ruby just learned, Nora was crazy, but in a fun way. Like...going bowling was fun, right? Well, Nora was the bowling ball. Or a wrecking ball.

For most of her life Ruby had been a loner, so she never questioned that she didn't have many friends. So...it was kind of awesome to find out that she _had_ had friends. And, even better, they were starting to reappear in her life! She liked that. Even if she didn't remember, they seemed nice enough for that not to matter.

And people _wanted_ to hang out with her!

"Well now that _that's_ over…" Yang said, gesturing Ruby to the kitchen table. "How 'bout you pick out our next hunt, miss team leader?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah! Why not - you have other plans?"

"Uh…" she stalled while trying to think of a response. But she kind of did have other plans! Like spending a whole bunch of time with Weiss.

"I thought you wanted to be a huntress!" Yang added when Ruby didn't say anything else.

"I do!"

"Butttt…? You're too busy smooching on your new-old girlfriend?"

"She's not -" Ruby began to deny, but grinned when Yang gave her a knowing look. " _Old_ ," she finished, making Yang laugh.

They'd never attached a label to it. Ruby only knew that she loved Weiss, and Weiss loved her in return. Were they _together_ now? Ruby would like to think so. And if they were together...that'd make Weiss her girlfriend, huh?

Woah. Not only did Ruby have friends, but she had a _girlfriend_.

"Let's pick out a hunt though!" Yang continued. "You said you wanted to go out again! And Weiss can come with us, you know."

 _That_ comment convinced her pretty darn quick.

"Let's do it!"

Grinning and pulling over a chair, Yang sat next to Ruby at the dining table and held the scroll in front of them so they could both see.

"Ok, so you can pick anyyyy one you want - except a solo one. I don't feel great about sending you out there alone, and I'm sure Weiss would skewer me if I did. But other than that, it's your call! So you can pick one of those boring, sneaky Assassinate contracts or go big with a super fun Eradicate contract!"

"Don't let her obvious bias sway you," Blake commented from the living room sofa, lowering her book and looking Ruby's way. "Sometimes removing powerful foes is more important than slaughtering a bunch of grunts."

"She's just mad because I always have a higher kill count than her," Yang whispered. When Ruby giggled, Blake let out a huff.

"I could _easily_ have a greater number of kills if I wanted, but then what would we do with your ego?"

"Oh _really?_ " Yang asked in dismay, swiveling in her chair to face Blake. "Wanna make it interesting then? How about a little competition? Whoever gets the most kills gets to boss the loser around for a day."

When Blake scoffed at the challenge but didn't respond, Ruby turned to Yang and asked, "What if _I_ get the most kills? Can I boss you around?"

While Yang stared at Ruby in surprise, Blake smirked and turned her attention back to her book.

"Walked into that one, didn't you…" she muttered while leaving Yang to answer on her own.

"Well...uh…" Yang began before finally waving her hand and shaking her head. "Nevermind that for now. Let's just pick one!"

Turning back to the screen, Ruby read the first title.

"This one!" she exclaimed, pointing to the top entry on the list. Yang looked at it carefully before turning back to her.

"But...don't you want to look through the rest?"

"Nope! That one looks good!"

"Yeah, but there's a whole list of things here!"

"But this one's on top!"

Shaking her head at the foolproof reasoning, Yang clicked on the page and handed the scroll to Ruby.

"You're convincing Weiss then," her sister said while Ruby entered their names to claim the hunt. "Not that it'll take much for you to convince her of anything,"

After staring at their names for a second - making sure everything was spelled right - Ruby pressed submit and the hunt's status updated to 'Claimed - Team RWBY.' It felt so official!

"When do we leave?" she asked while handing Yang's scroll back.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?" she squealed in disbelief. Laughing, Yang clapped one heavy hand down on Ruby's shoulder.

"Welcome to being a huntress."

Tomorrow morning though?

"You have a visitor," Blake commented from the sofa. Gasping, Ruby raced over and threw open the front door right as Weiss stepped onto the porch. The moment their eyes met, Ruby's heart started beating faster.

"Weiss! Come in! I've missed you!"

"I've...missed you too..." Weiss commented softly, her cheeks turning a soft pink as she stepped through the doorway.

"Can't you guys be apart for more than a few hours?" Yang teased, patting Weiss' shoulder before walking into the living room and falling onto the sofa beside Blake.

"When's the last time you and Blake were apart for more than an hour?" Weiss asked in return.

"Last night while I was sleeping." Pausing, Yang tapped one finger to her chin and grinned. "Although not even then cuz she was in my dreams!"

When Yang winked, Weiss rolled her eyes. Reaching out for one of Weiss' hands, Ruby stole all of her attention away from Yang.

"We're going on a hunt tomorrow," Ruby explained, ignoring her sister. "Will you come with us?"

"Tomorrow?" Weiss asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yeah! Oh, uh, is that not enough notice?"

"No, I just...wasn't expecting it, but - yes. I'll go with you," Weiss managed to get out with a smile. From the living room, Yang let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"Thank _god_. Cuz Ruby picked the contract with Nevermores."

Abruptly standing from the sofa, Blake reached down and pulled Yang to her feet.

"Let's give them some privacy, hmm?" Blake said quietly before leading Yang out of the room, giving Ruby and Weiss a smile as they left.

"What do they need privacy for?" Yang asked, but followed Blake out of the room regardless. Left in silence, Weiss turned back to Ruby with a small smile that suddenly vanished.

"You're not wearing your necklace."

Grasping where the ring should be, Ruby felt a bubble of panic burst in her chest when she discovered that her neck was bare. Scrambling in her pockets, the momentary alarm disappeared when she felt the chain and ring inside.

"I was playing with it earlier," she explained while slipping the ring back onto the chain and trying to fasten it around her neck. Why was it so dang hard to get these things back on?

"Let me help you," Weiss offered, stepping behind Ruby and taking the two ends of the chain from her hands. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck raised when Weiss' hands lightly grazed them - clasping the necklace in place a second later. "There."

When Ruby turned around, Weiss centered the ring on the chain then straightened the hem of Ruby's shirt. It was such a simple gesture, but it made her heart flutter even faster - especially with the way Weiss' fingers lingered on the bottom of her shirt.

"Um..." Ruby said before clearing her throat. "So...how was your day?"

"Busy. Tiring."

It was easy to see from Weiss' posture that she was tired. What had the day been like for her? Ruby could only imagine the important things that needed to be done at such a big company, but Weiss was here now! They could have a nice, relaxing evening together.

"Will you stay over tonight?" Ruby asked, not thinking about how the question might sound until it was already out in the open. But any embarrassment disappeared when Weiss looked at her with brilliant blue eyes and smiled.

"I'd love to."

"We'll just hang out!" Ruby added, grinning like a fool knowing that she'd end another day with Weiss by her side. "You need your rest!"

"Being around you is rejuvenating in its own way," Weiss commented while taking both of Ruby's hands in her own and looking down at them.

Sometimes, it felt like they shared energy through their connected hands - although nothing as strong as what Ruby felt with Weiss' aura in the garage. It was more subtle than that, but it was still there.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Ruby said when a thought of brilliance popped into her mind. "Why don't we stay at our old house tonight?" Reading the instant hesitation on Weiss' face, she added, "I mean, only if you want to..."

She wanted to go back though!

"I don't know…"

"It'll be fun!" she offered as an additional incentive when Weiss still looked unsure. "I mean, it's not like...haunted or anything is it?"

The joke worked, and a small smile broke through Weiss' unconcealed concern.

"I'm not sure. Would you like to check?"

"Oh no you don't!" Ruby said while shaking her head. "I'm not checking for ghosts ever again! For the rest of our lives, that's _your_ job!"

When Weiss let out a short laugh, Ruby knew she was making progress in pushing through Weiss' hesitation. Of course, they wouldn't go if Weiss really didn't want to go, but Ruby was still going to make her case for why they should.

"I think it'd be cool though! I mean, we used to _live_ there. What if I get all my memories back? Like maybe they're just hangin' in the air like some invisible spores and I breathe them all in!"

"Are you referring to asbestos or black mold? Both are ill-advised for inhaling."

"What?" Ruby asked, her face briefly scrunching in confusion. "No! Ok, I can tell you're not convinced. What can I do to persuade you?"

Initially, Weiss didn't look like she wanted to be convinced into this at all, but after a few seconds she physically relaxed and gently squeezed Ruby's hands.

"I have a price."

"What is it?"

"My _tell_ ," Weiss replied, giving Ruby a serious look. "What's my tell?"

Now _that_ was unexpected! Laughing gleefully, Ruby shook her head and used one hand to zip her lips. That was a super-secret secret that only she would ever know!

"I have a counteroffer!" she suggested, making Weiss raise one eyebrow. Leaning forward, Ruby kissed Weiss on the lips before pulling away and putting on her very best set of puppy dog eyes.

"Pleaseeee?"

Weiss stared at Ruby for several seconds before saying "That's so unfair" and spinning around on one heel to leave. Still clutching one of Weiss' hands and using the other to pump one fist in success, Ruby turned towards the hallway and shouted, "Yang! I'm leaving!"

"Woah, woah woah!" they heard Yang call out before appearing in the living room right as they were about to step through the front door. "Are you seriously going to leave without giving me a hug?"

"Uh, I was planning on it," Ruby joked before dropping Weiss' hand and hurrying over to hug Yang. "Have a good night!"

"That means you're not coming back tonight?" Yang replied while reaching out to ruffle Ruby's hair, but missing when Ruby dodged out of the way and skipped back to Weiss' side.

"Nnnnope!"

"You should take Crescent Rose and Thorn with you," Yang suggested. "Then you can just meet up with us in the morning."

"Oh, that's right!" Ruby gasped - having forgotten about the hunt after Weiss agreed to go with them. Blasting into her room, she collected a quick bag of clothes and the picture Yang gave her last night. It was a good luck charm - she had to take it with her! Next, she ran into the garage for Crescent Rose and Thorn before shooting back into the house. The petals had hardly hit the ground before she was back in the entryway with everything she needed.

"Ready!" she quipped, hopping out the front door with Weiss in tow. "See you tomorrow, Yang!"

"See you!" Yang replied as the door closed, and Ruby ran down the sidewalk towards the vehicle sitting out front.

"So excited!" she exclaimed while waiting for Weiss to catch up. It was the truth too! Not only were they going on a hunt tomorrow, but tonight she got to stay at her old house! Talk about awesome squared.

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," Weiss muttered while opening her door and ducking into the vehicle.

"It's gonna be awesome - trust me!" Ruby replied, tossing her stuff into the back and giving Weiss a grin before they went on their way.

It was still pretty unbelievable how close Ruby had lived to her old home this entire time. It was literally only a few minutes away! But it felt like no time at all before they pulled up to the comfortably-familiar house and got out of the car.

"I can't believe it's so close!" she remarked again while racing ahead. There was an intense security keypad near the front door that she assumed Weiss knew how to open. While Weiss did that, Ruby looked out at the front yard, which was a patchwork of shadows now that evening had arrived.

Everything looked so different when the sun set…but did it all look the same to Blake? Since her night vision was so good, did it always seem like daytime? Did she ever get confused about whether it was day or night?

"Ruby," Weiss whispered, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts to discover that the door was open and Weiss was gesturing inside. "Come on in."

Stepping into the quiet home, Ruby found that it was exactly how she'd remembered it.

Yang and Blake's house was theirs, and Ruby lived in it. Weiss' other house, which was technically her sister's, was unfamiliar and Ruby had been kind of scared she'd accidentally break something worth a million Lien. But this one...for whatever reason she felt strangely at ease here. Well, that was _probably_ because she'd once lived here.

Was that it? Did she _remember_ this place? Or did she feel so connected with it because she _knew_ it was her old home? Was this one of those things Yang and Blake tried to avoid - where Ruby felt connected or disconnected to people or moments for no reason other than the memories told to her?

Did she care? This was her home, and she liked it here!

Racing up the stairs to the second story, she paused and waited for Weiss to catch up to her.

"Yellow or lavender?" Weiss asked while taking the last two steps with the grace of a princess.

Yellow or lavender? Oh! The two guests rooms. Weiss was asking which of the two guest rooms Ruby wanted to stay in.

"But...that's our room," Ruby replied in confusion, pointing down the hall towards the closed door. "Why wouldn't we sleep in there?"

Uncertainty was written on Weiss' face. Not _literally_ , but Ruby could _tell_ that Weiss was _very_ uncertain about the idea of spending the night in their old room. Which made sense, but if they didn't stay in the room now, when would they ever stay there?

This might be difficult for Weiss, but Ruby was more than willing to help get her through it! Step one - and really the only step - was to get Weiss through that door.

Reaching out, Ruby took Weiss' hands and gently tugged her down the hall - away from the safety of the guest bedrooms.

"It'll be ok," Ruby cooed like she was trying to convince a puppy to come out and play. "There's noooo ghosts in here - unless you're going to make more..." Grinning when her words earned a hint of a smile, she blindly reached behind her and slammed her hand into the door.

"Ouch," she said on instinct, even though it was more surprising than painful. Undeterred, she searched for the handle and pushed the door open before grabbing both of Weiss' hands and backing inside with her in tow.

"There's just a niceeee big bed," Ruby continued while leading them towards the middle of the room. "And a niceeee big closet and a niceeee big window."

A smile finally appeared on Weiss' lips - enough to make Ruby beam in pride.

Mission successful! Weiss was convinced. Or at least, acquiesced.

"I'm gonna put my stuff away," Ruby said, nodding towards the bed stand.

"Before you do that," Weiss replied before Ruby dropped her hands. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Oh, uh…" When her mind failed to provide any names of food - the first time that had ever happened - Ruby shrugged. "Whatever you want?"

Chuckling softly and pulling out her scroll, Weiss said "alright, I'll order something."

Feeling more positive by the second that Weiss wouldn't try to run away, Ruby grinned and set off to make herself at home. Which, technically, this was her home! Her scroll went on the nightstand, her PJs on the bed, Crescent Rose and Thorn went off in one corner out of the way. Then she shot towards the bathroom - only to freeze and nearly face plant on the plush carpet when she realized she shouldn't use her semblance inside. Turning around, she grimaced at the trail of petals falling to the ground.

"I'll pick those up!" she said before walking quickly into the bathroom to put Timmy Too by the sink. Returning to the room, confusion appeared when she found that the petals were already gone.

"Uh...where'd they go?" she asked, looking around and finding no trace of her semblance.

Still standing somewhat-stubbornly in the middle of the room, Weiss used a glyph to draw a basket from underneath a cabinet before using another glyph to gently pop the petals up from inside.

"There's one in every room," she explained before sliding the basket back into place and smiling.

It was a little thing, right? So Weiss put little baskets in every room to hold Ruby's petals. So Weiss could easily pick them up with her semblance. So she didn't seem remotely bothered by the fact that Ruby pretty much sprayed them everywhere all the time.

So they'd lived together. And it _worked_.

"You're so awesome," Ruby breathed out. When Weiss looked away and murmured a quiet, "Thank you," Ruby suddenly remembered what she'd worked on earlier that day.

"Oh! If you're not too tired, I have questions for you!" Pulling her notebook out of her bag, Ruby handed it o Weiss. After taking it uncertainly, Weiss' eyes widened when she flipped the first page. And then the next.

"Ruby, there are five pages of questions here."

"Yup! So let's get started?" Leaping onto the bed, Ruby patted the covers so Weiss would join her. "Wow, this bed is super comfortable," she remarked while Weiss sat down, her eyes too busy scanning the questions to look at Ruby. Her concentrated expression was super cute though.

"Alright," Weiss suddenly said while lowering the notebook. "These are good, but didn't you say the hunt is tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, right. That's pretty fast, isn't it?"

"Well, didn't you pick the first one on the list?" Weiss asked, giving Ruby a knowing look.

"Uh, maybe…"

"That's why," Weiss answered. "The hunts listed first are there for a reason - they're time sensitive, either because Grimm are close to populated areas or we're worried we'll lose track of them." Pausing for a second, Weiss gave Ruby a look that could only be described as a look of love.

"You always picked the hunts at the top."

"Well, if they're time sensitive…" Ruby began, but trailed off when Weiss reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Exactly." Glancing at the notebook, Weiss flipped a page before turning back to Ruby. "Which is why we should go over these questions later. Tonight, we need to focus on the hunt."

"Focus on it how?" Ruby asked, scrunching her face up in thought. "Like by imagining how many Grimm we're gonna kill? I'm thinking lots and lots of Grimm."

The response made Weiss shake her head.

"We need to develop action plans. You don't think we just show up without doing a bit of research first, do you?"

"Uh...well...maybe?"

Again, Weiss shook her head with a smile. "What do you think Blake and Yang are doing right now?" she asked - the question making Ruby wrinkle her nose.

"Probably don't wanna know."

The response made Weiss briefly scrunch her nose before shaking her head one more time to clear that thought.

"No, they're preparing," she explained. "Blake goes through terrain maps - she's our navigator. And Yang...she's probably making jokes, but she'll arrange evac or escape points while memorizing the hunt details."

"She can do that?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

Apparently, Ruby still had a _lot_ to learn. With Yang and Blake leading the way, she hadn't thought about the planning that went into each hunt. At the time, she needed to focus on becoming stronger and more capable, but now...now she needed to learn how to work with her team and put together a foolproof plan!

"Then what are we in charge of?" she asked.

"I'll show you," Weiss said while grabbing her scroll and pulling up the hunt details. "We like to do the planning as a team if possible, but it shouldn't be a problem this time." Setting the scroll on the bed so they could both read the screen, Weiss then flipped Ruby's notebook to a blank page and reached over to grab a pen from inside the nightstand. It looked like the pen didn't want to write at first, but after Weiss gave it a few good taps, the ink started flowing.

Both curious and excited to learn something new, Ruby leaned over Weiss' shoulder and watched her write in small, neat letters while referencing the information on the scroll every so often.

"We're in charge of the Grimm!" Ruby exclaimed when she understood what Weiss was jotting down.

"Yes," Weiss replied, holding the notebook out so Ruby could more easily read it. "The data in the documents given to us is compiled from various sources - first-person accounts or scans and imagery. Some pieces of intel are more accurate than others, but they all serve as a good starting point to build the hunt around."

With one finger, Weiss tapped the first of several lines she'd written on the page.

"It might seem elementary, but we start by listing what we know about the hunt. From there, we come up with what we can expect given what we know. Blake will handle location and Yang will handle entry and exit, so let's start with our target. For this hunt, we have a very specific target -" as she spoke, Weiss lifted the scroll and showed Ruby a map image with a red circle indicating their destination. Another photo showed a large group of Nevermores circling in the skies above the trees.

"A Nevermore nest!" Ruby answered, making Weiss nod and set the scroll back on the covers.

"We need to take out this nest." Tapping the screen once, Weiss then picked up her pen and notebook again. "We take what we know about Nevermores and determine what battle strategies are possible. This might be difficult for you right now, but I'll teach you some of the most basic parts tonight. We'll probably end up winging it tomorrow anyway."

"Awesome! I'm so ready!"

"First things first - what do you know about Nevermores?"

Ruby laughed and leaned into Weiss' side, enjoying the slight warmth that passed between them.

"I think the question should be what _don't_ I know about Nevermores! Which...from the look on your face, is probably a lot..."

Grinning, Weiss shook her head and put the pen back to paper.

"Tell me what you know," she said while jotting down what seemed like a never-ending stream of notes. "We'll go from there."

While Weiss wrote a few more sentences, Ruby turned to the side and grinned at her partner.

She liked it here. And she liked being here with Weiss.

She loved being with Weiss.

"Ruby?"

Jolting from her thoughts and what had to be a GLoS for the ages, Ruby spooled up her brain while searching for any information that had 'Nevermore' attached to it.

"Nevermores! Got it. Prepare to be amazed by my Nevermore knowledge!"


	41. Chapter 41

**I know I say this a lot, but this is quite possibly one of my favorite chapters. I hope you agree!**

* * *

As a sigh of pleasure slipped past Weiss' lips as consciousness surged through her veins and her eyes flew open - just in time to catch Ruby pulling away with a rampant blush growing on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby immediately cried out, pressing both palms to her cheeks. "I didn't mean to scare you! You just looked so cute sleeping that I thought maybe I could, uh, ya know - I'm sorry!"

"It's alright," Weiss breathed out, placing one hand over her hammering heart and briefly closing her eyes. "It's alright. I just...wasn't expecting that."

Woken by a kiss? She wouldn't have expected that in a million years - yet it just happened. She immediately wished she could go back and redo that moment...hopefully, her reaction wouldn't prevent Ruby from doing that again.

"Sorry…" Ruby mumbled before smiling brightly. "But good morning! Today's the day! We get to hunt some Nevermores - are you excited?"

"I don't know if 'excited' is the right word..."

"Then are you 'mentally prepared?'" Ruby teased before giggling and hopping out of bed. After raising her hands towards the ceiling and stretching her back, she did a little jump of excitement and disappeared into the bathroom before her feet had touched the ground.

'Excited' might not be the right word to describe how Ruby was feeling right now either. Elated, maybe? Ecstatic? Bursting at the seams with energy?

Sighing, Weiss swung her feet out of bed and sat up before rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes. She slept well considering the circumstances - a remarkable feat considering how she once swore she'd never step foot in this place again. Maybe Ruby was right...the only ghosts here were of Weiss' own creation. When she wasn't allowing shadows of the past to control her actions, she could see that this was just a room - it was attached to the past, but that wasn't its entire identity.

As her eyes swept across the space, she actually found herself silently rejoicing in the comfortable familiarity. The early morning sun was shining through the window, creating a triangle of light on the floor near the door - a bright spot that would creep towards them the longer they delayed the start of their day. A trail of red petals led to the bathroom - a physical reminder that Ruby was nearby. Not that Weiss needed a physical reminder when the smell of roses lingered in the air, on the sheets, and on her clothes.

Last night she might have taken a step towards conquering one of her demons, but today she would be forced to confront another.

Was she ready to leave the safety of Vale and traipse back into the forests? Was she strong enough to handle another situation in which Ruby would be in harm's way? Was she mentally prepared to be a huntress again - accepting the risks that came with such a title?

"I think so…" she whispered to herself before standing and heading to the closet for a change of clothes.

After living with a limited selection of clothing for the past few weeks, stepping into her old closet was like stepping into a dream. Everything was neatly organized and arranged precisely how she liked it. Everything was in her particular taste and style. The accessories, the shoes, the outfits...the combination choices seemed nearly limitless compared to what she'd been working with.

Today, she needed combat attire…

"Oooooh, I wanna wear this!" Appearing out of the blue and leaning over Weiss' shoulder, Ruby picked out the red and black outfit that had been her favorite through the tail end of school. Breathing in the scent of roses before Ruby disappeared again, Weiss reached out and found her corresponding outfit from the same timeframe.

If they were taking another step into the past today, they would do so together.

Walking out of the closet, Weiss found that Ruby was already fully dressed and hopping up and down in anticipation. The old outfit was so familiar it made a small drop of yearning spread from Weiss' heart, but the feeling was quickly overridden when Ruby smiled and waved - flashing Thorn through the air as a gentle reminder that even though their circumstances were similar, they weren't the same.

Ducking her head and heading into the restroom, Weiss hurried about getting ready for the day. There was much to be thought of when preparing for a hunt. First was physical preparation - having appropriate attire, addressing any injuries. Second was mental preparation - maintaining a calm state of mind, being well-rested and prepared for turmoil.

Fortunately, they got a good amount of sleep last night. They likely _wouldn't_ have had Weiss not emphasized that they couldn't account for _every_ possible situation and strategy in the short amount of time they had. Even though both of them were prone to being meticulously prepared, they would have to accept the unknowns today - there just wasn't time to do otherwise.

Ever since Ruby discovered the videos from the combat room, her mind seemed to be moving at a million miles per minute. Weiss was able to focus their conversation upon the current hunt, but there were still questions upon questions that needed answers. It almost felt like they were back at Beacon - staying up all night strategizing together. 'Let's try this.' 'But what about that?' 'We have to try this out.'

Ruby's mind had always been a treasure trove of ingenuity, and that hadn't changed one bit. The trick was to slow her down. Otherwise, she would stay up through the night - or multiple nights - until she discovered all she wanted to know. It was a slightly-manic quality that Weiss had learned to mitigate through various means - in this case, through a passionate appeal to reason.

Thankfully, Ruby was pragmatic enough to understand the importance of rest the night before a hunt.

And a kiss. Ruby made Weiss 'convince' her with a kiss. Like that was such a horrible price to pay…

Once fully dressed and ready to go, Weiss stepped back into the bedroom and was again greeted by the jarring realization that this used to be her home - their home.

"We get to eat first, right?" Ruby asked with a hopeful expression.

"Of course, silly," Weiss answered, holding Ruby's hand so they could make their way downstairs together.

Somehow, Ruby knew how to press Weiss out of her comfort zone in a reassuring and encouraging way. If anyone other than Ruby had asked Weiss to spend the night here, her answer would've been a big, resolute 'no.' But she wanted Ruby to get what she wanted - even if what she wanted was to stay overnight in the home with so many memories Weiss once hadn't been able to bare it.

With Ruby's presence, however, the house transformed. The quiet was temporary - with a laugh or giggle always on the horizon. The stillness was broken by Ruby's unceasing motion. It was no longer haunted by memories, but being filled with new ones.

Remember that time Ruby convinced Weiss to sleep at their old home when she didn't think she was ready...and then they stayed up late into the night preparing for a hunt?

"More french toast and ice cream?" Ruby asked while skipping into the kitchen and pulling out a chair at the table.

"How about something a little healthier?"

This time Weiss was prepared to feed Ruby - at least, she'd prepared last night while Ruby sketched a remarkably realistic Nevermore.

"Wait here," Weiss instructed before heading to the front door and checking outside. Finding the pre-ordered food already waiting on the stoop, she picked up the insulated bag and brought it into the kitchen.

If they were going on a hunt today, they needed to eat a solid meal before leaving. For Ruby, Weiss ordered 'the usual' - eggs, pancakes, toast with jam, and sides of bacon and sausage. For herself - maybe a whole grapefruit, if she could stomach it, with some plain toast on the side.

She was nervous but didn't want to let on as much. There was no reason for her internal worries to affect Ruby's excitement.

"Bon appétit," she said while pulling out a large carry-out platter and setting it in front of Ruby. "Sorry, I didn't make it, but there's no food in these cupboards at the moment."

"But you still thought to order ahead - so smart!" With a grin, Ruby began eating while Weiss sat down across the table.

Methodically cutting her grapefruit into two halves, Weiss tried not to focus on how similar this felt to _before_. Waking up and preparing together. Eating breakfast. Ruby chirping like a happy bird while getting ready - not at all anxious about the impending battle. The déjà vu drew Weiss closer and closer to the morning of...their last morning together.

"Mmm this is great!" Ruby exclaimed after finishing off the pancakes and setting in on the toast. "It's a perfect combination of breakfast foods too!"

"Glad you still like it. This was what you wanted to eat before every hunt, although normally I would make it."

"Really? Dang. I was a genius."

" _Are_ ," Weiss corrected with a smile. "At least, when it comes to food."

"I have a lot of experience eating!" Ruby joked before biting off a large corner of toast and nodding in content.

Scooping out a piece of grapefruit, Weiss shook her head and forced herself to eat it. It was on the bitter side but manageable without sugar. Eating half should be relatively easy if she put her mind to it…

While they went through the hunt details last night, Weiss determined that this particular contract required four huntsmen for a reason. Nevermores weren't to be trifled with on a typical day, but when they grouped together getting rid of them was difficult. This particular nest was a fifteen average the last time their intelligence was updated - an average of fifteen Nevermores in the skies at any time - but by the time they reached the site, it could have climbed above twenty.

This hunt required four huntsmen because it _needed_ four huntsmen.

At The Beacon Invite, against simulated enemies, they were never in any real danger. Out in the forest...nothing was guaranteed. How would she react to Ruby being in danger again? The first time...she hadn't responded very well. The situation had worked out in her favor, but this time she might not be so lucky. If she broke again, if she panicked, she would put them all in danger. And they needed her to be a full member today, not merely an accessory.

She agreed to go because she wouldn't allow Ruby to go without her, but a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that maybe it was better for everyone involved if she stayed behind. _Remember what happened last time,_ it said quietly, pushing the memory to the forefront of her mind. She hadn't been able to control her emotions. She hadn't been able to overcome her fear. The past overpowered her, and she became a liability.

"You ok?"

The question jarred Weiss out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she answered instinctively. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, cuz you've had that piece of grapefruit halfway to your mouth for a long time," Ruby replied as a concerned expression furrowed her brow. "What's wrong?"

Admitting weakness wasn't something Weiss did easily, or willingly. It made her feel so exposed that she usually avoided it at all costs, but this was Ruby. As team leader, Ruby needed to know the mental state of her teammates before a hunt. As a huntress, Ruby needed to know her partner's weaknesses before heading into battle. But it was neither of these reasons that creased Ruby's brow.

As a person...a kind, caring person...Ruby noticed that something was wrong - whether through Weiss' behavior, her posture, her lack of motion, or something Weiss herself didn't notice - and wanted to help.

"I'm a bit nervous," Weiss finally confessed before sticking the piece of grapefruit into her mouth.

"And you're nervous becauseeeeee…?"

A small smile appeared when she realized that she would, once again, explain her deepest, darkest fears to Ruby with hardly any resistance. Ruby always had a way of pulling information out of her...

"Because I don't want you...or anyone...to get hurt," Weiss explained, feeling her heart beat painfully at the thought of it. "I'm worried that I'll make a mistake, or fail, or cause a repeat of last time."

"But you're an amazing huntress!" When Weiss moved to shake her head, Ruby nodded vehemently. "You are! You're so smart and really, really good! I saw, remember? I was at The Invite, and I've seen the videos!"

"That's different," Weiss argued. "The forest is real life, Ruby. The Grimm won't disappear if you can't kill them in time."

"But if you _do_ kill them in time, they _will_ disappear."

Baffled by the logic, Weiss shook her head. "What? Ruby, that doesn't make sense in this context."

"Ok, you know what you need?"

When Ruby abruptly stood up and walked around the table, Weiss looked at her in confusion.

"You need a confidence boost!"

"A what?"

"A confidence boost!"

Using both hands, Ruby pulled Weiss' chair out from underneath the table with her still sitting in it. Ruby then knelt on the ground right in front of her and, after linking both hands together near the floor, looked up at her expectantly.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked in surprise.

"Step on my hands!"

"I'm not doing that -"

"Yes, you are!" Ruby interrupted. "You know why? Because I'm team leader and I said so!" When Weiss stared in dumbfounded shock, Ruby immediately dropped the bravado and found a more beseeching expression. "And because I'd like you to. Pleaseeee?"

Had Ruby just pulled the leader card? How long had it been since she'd done that? Years, at least. The leader card was retired long ago to make room for the 'girlfriend card,' which itself was supplanted by the 'fiancée card.'

Unfortunately, all three had the same effect.

Faking a sigh of exasperation, Weiss obediently stood and set one foot in Ruby's hands. Gently squeezing Weiss' foot, Ruby was clearly tickled that her argument just worked.

"Now when I say 'up,' you step onto my hands, got it?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Get ready...up!"

When Weiss stepped forward, Ruby made a small huff of effort while using both hands to propel Weiss into the air. It wasn't more than a couple of feet or so, but for a second she was weightless and free, and then she landed on the floor with Ruby beaming at her.

"Do you feel better?"

That had been rather enjoyable in a strange way. But why? Because it was Ruby's wacky little creation?

"I don't know how you do that," Weiss answered instead.

"Do what?"

"Come up with silly things that make me feel better."

"Then you feel better?" Ruby asked, her smile fully restored.

"Yes. I do."

"That's why you love me!"

The word still threatened to knock Weiss right off of her feet, but she managed to remain standing and smiled in return.

"Yes. One of the many reasons."

That list kept growing and growing...

"How are _you_ feeling though?" Weiss finally thought to ask, taking Ruby's empty tray of food from the table and dropping it in the trash.

"I'm excited! But also a little nervous. I don't want anyone to get hurt either, you know."

A thread of guilt ran through Weiss at Ruby's earnest reply. "I know you don't," she replied, reaching out to touch Ruby's hand. "And everything will turn out fine. Blake and Yang are pros, after all. They practically count as two huntsmen each."

Her gentle reassurance worked wonders in bringing the shine back to Ruby's smile.

"They totally do! I bet they wouldn't even need our help if we wanted to sit and watch."

The idea of setting up a picnic with Ruby while they watched their teammates take on a horde of Nevermores made Weiss laugh.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate our help though," she answered before checking the time - and they were right on schedule. "We should get ready to leave."

As soon as the words left her lips, she dragged herself after a skipping Ruby to collect the rest of their belongings. It felt like another lifetime when Weiss rushed out of this house and swore never to return - today, she never wanted to leave. Staying behind wasn't an option, however. They were partners...so if Ruby was going, Weiss was going as well.

No hunt preparation was complete without two remaining pieces of equipment - their weapons and a good pair of shoes. While Ruby's boots practically laced themselves, Weiss took far longer pulling her footwear into place. Only when she realized she was intentionally wasting time did she softly stomp her feet and pick up Myrtenaster.

"When we get back, we should try some of the moves you showed me last night!" Immediately shaking her head, Ruby blushed. "I mean, our combat strategy stuff. We should try out the combat strategy stuff."

"Sure. We can work on those this week."

Ruby's use of definitive words was reassuring. There was no 'if' they made it back, but 'when.' The idea that they might not return hadn't entered Ruby's mind or, if it had, she already decided it was so unlikely it didn't warrant further thought or worry.

It was different from the confidence Yang carried about, but confidence nonetheless. It was much quieter and often left unspoken, but Weiss could sense it - and it reassured her as well.

"Are you ready?" she asked when they stood by the door.

The version of Ruby standing in front of her was a mesh of old and new - a throwback outfit combined with a couple of new scars and the addition of Thorn. Reaching out for Ruby's hand, Weiss watched the lines of thorns glow in a stunning reminder of how connected they were.

"I'm ready if you are!"

Of course Ruby was ready. She was born to be a huntress.

Overriding her hesitation, Weiss tugged Ruby out the door.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she admitted while they walked towards the car she'd scheduled to take them to meet Yang and Blake.

Thankfully, Blake sent along details regarding a meeting location in a comprehensive message last night. Ruby was surprisingly bereft of that information, but it had never been her task to put together hunt specifics regarding starting time and place. That had been Weiss' job and, apparently, Blake's in her absence.

Traffic on the way to the airship station went according to the plan, and the car dropped them off precisely on time. After weaving through several terminals, they found the appropriate pad with an airship already waiting for them. Of course, their teammates were late. Meaning, Yang was late. Probably looking for the right pair of boots again…

"There they are!" Ruby called out after several minutes of waiting, pointing away from the airship. Weiss turned and found the other half of their team strolling over - appearing not at all concerned that they were over three minutes late.

"What's up, lovebirds?" Yang greeted them with a grin.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted before punching her sister in the shoulder.

"What? Just callin' it like I see it! Where'd _that_ come from?" Yang asked, pointing to Ruby's outfit.

"My closet! Why? You don't like it?"

"I just haven't seen it in ages!" Yang commented before motioning with her head for them to head up the ramp into the airship. "Let's get this show on the road, huh?"

When Ruby grinned, Weiss took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. Seconds later, four sets of boots clunked up the metal ramp into the cabin of the ship that would take them to their destination.

For as much as the situation felt similar to the hundreds of other hunts they'd gone on together, it wasn't the same.

Reaching the top of the ramp, Ruby glanced Weiss' way and grinned - sending a flurry of butterflies through her chest.

Maybe it wasn't exactly the same...but it might be awfully close.

Choosing a seat on the left side of the ship, Weiss was pleasantly surprised when Ruby sat beside her. Why she continued to be surprised by Ruby's attention to her, she didn't know. All she knew was that after spending so long apart, she would never take these small considerations for granted again.

"Surprised Weiss isn't chewing us out for being late," Yang joked while she and Blake picked two seats across the narrow cabin. "You lucked out this time, Blake!"

"Oh yes, _I_ lucked out…" Blake replied with a roll of her eyes while strapping herself in. Chuckling at the response, Yang turned her attention to Ruby.

"So are you excited or what?" Yang asked while lightly tapping her fists together. "Did Weiss give you some pointers?"

"Yup! And she did! We went over some strategies last night!"

"Awesome! We'll see what happens, but maybe you'll get to use them."

When Yang reached across and Ruby slapped her hand for a high five, Weiss leaned back in her seat and took another deep breath.

With just the four of them boarding, it was only a few more minutes before the ramp raised and the pilot began flipping a variety of switches in the cockpit. Engine noise roared into the cabin, and the next second the ship shot into the air - dropping her stomach in the process.

They were on their way.

Exhaling slowly through her mouth, she briefly closed her eyes and focused on her heart. It was beating rapidly, but the overwhelming fear of their last trip outside the walls had diminished substantially. So much had changed since that day - like how seeing Thorn on Ruby's hand was now reassuring, not terrifying. And she wasn't silently cursing Yang for taking unnecessary risks with Ruby's life.

This wasn't going to be a repeat of last time because this _wasn't_ last time. They'd all changed since that day.

Opening her eyes and looking across the cabin, she found Blake studying her intently. Meeting Blake's intense gaze for only a second, Weiss managed a small smile before directing her gaze towards Ruby.

She understood why Blake was watching her - just like the last time. One of Blake's many talents was identifying weaknesses, both physical and emotional. Today, she was checking Weiss' mental state and calculating how much attention needed to be diverted from their ultimate goal to prevent her from becoming a handicap. Hopefully, she wasn't sending off as many of those vibes today...

When the ship turned sharply in the air, the paved streets beyond the window gave way to nature. The outer wall passed quickly underneath and, with it, the edge of safety disappeared.

Just when Weiss began to worry about her increasing heartbeat, Ruby reached over and clasped one of her hands around Weiss'. The simple gesture succeeded in leveling off her heart rate and sending a breath of calm through her jittering fingers.

There was hardly time to analyze the situation before Ruby called out, "There!" and pointed through the window for Weiss to see. Craning her neck to find the proper view, she could make out the shapes of Nevermores dotting the horizon - nothing more than black pinpricks from this distance. Yang and Blake unclipped themselves and walked over to see what they would soon be up against.

"It's close," Blake whispered before turning away, and Weiss nodded in agreement. They weren't far from the outer reaches of the city. If the Nevermores continued to swarm and grew in numbers, the deadly mass of Grimm might decide to move towards the wall.

There was a reason why this hunt was marked as a priority - just like last time...

The sound of the engines suddenly dulled to a loud hum when the ship stopped its forward motion and hovered in the air.

"Sorry ladies," the pilot called to them from the cockpit. "Can't take you any closer. These skies are a no-fly zone."

"Not after today!" Yang quipped before giving him a wave and moving toward the back of the ship. Grabbing a handhold, she hit the door release as the ship descended - letting in a rush of wind and views of green, green, and more green. The tops of the trees were still a good hundred feet below them when the ship came to a stop.

"Ruby on me," Yang said, motioning Ruby towards her and raising her voice to be heard over the rushing wind. It was only then that Ruby let go of Weiss' hand, pulled out Crescent Rose and moved to her sister, who grabbed one of her shoulders and grinned. "Ok Ruby - leader gets to jump out first!"

Ruby grinned at Weiss before taking a jogging leap out of the airship and disappearing from view. Yang jumped out immediately after, making sure she wasn't far behind. When Blake gestured for Weiss to head out next, she stood and walked to the edge of the ramp - where steel gave way to nothing.

This was it.

One hop forward and gravity instantly took hold. Dropping to the ground while making sure to maneuver carefully through the trees, she crouched in perfect time to cushion her fall and absorb the shock through her knees. As soon as her feet touched the ground, her nerves reappeared, but she shoved them as far away as possible and focused on her training.

Scan the surrounding area. Listen for anything out of the ordinary. Determine the direction of the objective. Review emergency escape protocol. Most importantly, breathe. Remain calm and focused.

Without a sound, Blake appeared beside Weiss and strode forward to regroup with Ruby and Yang. Quick to follow, Weiss only briefly glanced above them when the airship retreated back to the safety of the city, leaving them on their own from here on out.

"Blake found a cute little meadow nearby," Yang explained when they rallied together. "It's a bit far from the nest, but we should be able to get their attention from there. If not, we're gonna have to do this the hard way."

Ruby and Weiss nodded, then they all followed Blake while she cut expertly through the trees. Ruby was behind Blake, with Weiss third and Yang picking up the rear. It wasn't their usual order, but it would work for today.

With Blake leading the way using her superior senses, the rest of them followed silently and took in the forest living around them. Unlike some of the denser areas found further from civilization, this patch of woods was sparse with trees, making navigation easier. The shrubbery was more forgiving if brushed against, and there were ponds and streams easily traversable with a short detour or well-timed leap.

Clear blues, lush greens, and wildflowers blooming in every conceivable color in between...it was beautiful, wild, and free.

Being a huntress meant facing the darkest and most unspeakable dangers lurking in the forest, but sometimes there were moments such as these - where they encountered beauty that didn't exist inside the walls.

"Almost there," Blake whispered, quiet enough that it was likely only Ruby and Weiss heard. Skirting around a pond before racing through more trees, they jumped a small stream before Weiss glimpsed a break in the trees up ahead. On cue, Blake slowed her pace and allowed the rest of them to catch up to her at the edge of a meadow. Shoulder-to-shoulder, the four of them stood at the treeline, remaining hidden by the cover of the trees while taking in their latest hunting ground.

The gently-sloping field was filled with grass that rippled under invisible breaths of wind. 'Little' might not have been an accurate way to describe it, as it was nearly the size of the combat floor of Beacon's arena - plenty of space for what they were looking to accomplish today. In the distance were more towering trees, but above those trees was exactly what they'd been racing towards - Nevermores.

The giant beasts circled the skies around a group of taller trees that had been inundated with a slew of dead branches. The trees bowed under the weight that had been dropped on top of them, yet refused to break. The dead branches formed a nest - large and rudimentary, but a nest nonetheless. No one could explain why the birdlike Grimm built nests when they had no means to procreate, but build they did - and they protected their creation fiercely.

Many of the Nevermores swooped in large circles around the area, some landing upon the trees just as others took flight. A loud _caw_ went up that Weiss heard even at this distance, sending a shiver down her spine. Swallowing thickly, she wiped one sweating palm on her skirt.

This wasn't a game. This wasn't pretend. There were real lives at stake here - first and foremost, their own. If they turned around right now, they could go home without disturbing the creatures.

Of course, that wasn't their job. Their job was to move forward and into harm's way.

"Ok Ruby," Yang whispered, turning to her sister. "I'm not gonna give you any hints, but we need to kill _those things_ and get rid of _that thing_ attracting them, using the gorgeous, able-bodied huntresses with you."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang's boastfulness. Somehow, Yang managed to joke right before a battle. The nonchalance was reassuring in the same way Ruby's unwavering certainty was - as if this was just another day in the forest. Who cared if there was a nest of Nevermores within shouting distance? Give them a _real_ challenge and maybe then Yang would take it seriously.

"That hardly seems fair…" Weiss began to respond in Ruby's defense, knowing that they hadn't come remotely close to covering this specific scenario last night. But Ruby's eyes narrowed while she tried to puzzle her way through a strategy.

First, Ruby looked at each of them in turn before glancing at the Nevermores in the distance. It was almost possible to read her line of reasoning - Blake, Nevermores, no. Yang, Nevermores, no. When Ruby's eyes landed on Weiss, however, they remained there for a few seconds longer - enough of a linger that Yang grinned and Weiss' surprise began to mount. Looking at the Nevermores one more time, Ruby returned her gaze to Weiss with a calculating expression.

"Your glyphs -"

Before Ruby had the opportunity to finish the thought, Yang laughed and lifted her little sister off the ground in a hug.

"Look at you, you little genius!" Yang remarked, giving Ruby's hair a rustle.

The strategies they'd covered last night were relatively basic - building a foundation on which they could add complexities in the future. What Ruby was about to propose had been their preferred method to dispose of Nevermores, but this also meant it was one of their most complicated strategies. The fact that Ruby just came up with it on her own, on the fly, was doubly impressive.

"We take the fight to them," Ruby continued with more confidence, not bothering to fix her ruffled hair. "Weiss can get us airborne, then we use her glyphs to maneuver better than they can."

"Sounds like an _awesome_ plan."

With a small grin at Yang's endorsement, Ruby turned to Weiss.

"Then this is up to you."

The phrase instantly filled Weiss with dread. This was up to her. Her teammates were going to put their lives in her shaking, uncertain hands. All because at one point, ages ago, she'd developed a particular penchant for handling Nevermores. They were her specialty of sorts.

It all begun with their first battle at Beacon, when she lined the cliff wall with glyphs for Ruby. After that, there were instances when she'd propelled Yang up to greet the giant beasts midair - something Yang found to be particularly exhilarating and enjoyable.

Over time, Weiss became their 'strategist of the skies,' as Ruby dubbed it. They each had their strengths - Yang loved Ursa, and somehow understood the giant bears on an incomprehensible level. Blake loved King Taijitus, with their cunning and precision attacks. Ruby loved everything, but hordes of Beowolves above all else. And Nevermores belonged to Weiss.

It meant that she was in charge. Ruby ceded nearly all of her authority to Weiss to make strategic decisions. She used to love it. She loved having a 'thing' as Yang so profoundly phrased it. But now?

"Call 'em out?" Yang asked. When everyone turned to Weiss, nerves exploded in her chest.

Taking a deep breath, she counted the number of Grimm and then counted again. Fifteen in sight, which meant by the time the battle was over, there could be at least ten more from the vicinity. There wasn't much in terms of tree cover, so her teammates would be sitting ducks if they were stuck in one spot for too long - she'd need to move them rapidly. Thankfully, she had a great vantage point from the treeline and, if she remained hidden, would have little to worry about in terms of protecting herself.

Taking another deep breath, she again wiped her palm on her skirt. Gently nudging her shoulder, Blake offered an encouraging smile.

"We've done this before, remember?"

Right. They had. And only twenty-five Nevermores...they could handle up to fifty. Of course, that was with a more experienced Ruby…

No, they could do this. Ruby was just as good as before. Her instincts were still there. But what about Weiss? Could she handle this responsibility? If she made another mistake, someone would be severely injured...again...

Moving over, Ruby set one hand on Weiss' shoulder and leaned close to her ear.

"I believe in you," she whispered before looking into Weiss' eyes and smiling. "We all do."

Clutching Myrtenaster - where Ruby had etched the same words sometime in the past - Weiss nodded and shoved the insecurity from her mind. A strategy was beginning to form - and with a plan came some sense of stability.

It was time to prove that she was still capable of being a member of this team.

"Alright," she said with a resolute nod. "Ruby calls them out. Yang, you're up first."

Yang knocked her fists together and grinned while Weiss turned to Ruby.

"Ruby, you're going to shoot one with Crescent Rose," she explained. "It will bring them all our way. Try to hit as many as you can before they get too close. Yang and Blake will take the first two glyphs, and you take the third. When you see another glyph in the air, you do whatever it takes to reach it, got it?"

Jaw set in determination, Ruby nodded and knelt on the ground to line up her first shot. While she did so, Weiss shook Myrtenaster to get the jitters out.

The crack of a rifle rang out and, for just a moment, time stood still while the bullet found its faraway target. One of the Nevermores cried out and faltered in its flight before correcting and turning their way. The rest of the Grimm turned to follow as more took off from inside the nest - three more that they hadn't been able to see.

Another shot snapped through the air. Another. Another. Always the closest Grimm stuttered in their screaming path towards the meadow.

As expected, the creatures were grouping up, forming a massive wall of Grimm rocketing towards them. Weiss' first task was splitting them apart.

More powerful shots as bullets sped through the air. Each one on target. Each one searching out the weakest spots. Not enough to kill, but by now half of the group had been injured, making the rest of their work that much easier.

The Nevermores grew closer and closer still. Flying over the opposing treeline, they swooped low to the ground, talons extending and beaks opening in a bone-chilling screech of anger. Once they reached the center of the meadow, Weiss whipped Myrtenaster in front of her and focused on both her semblance and the Dust residing inside her weapon. A block of ice exploded in the Grimm's path, sending them scattering and streaming back into the air in all directions. The unexpected obstacle succeeded in breaking them apart and destroying their momentum - forcing them to flap their wings with great effort to regain altitude.

Now they had a battle on their hands.

The closest Nevermore had already managed to swoop back for another attempted attack. Picking it out, Weiss summoned a glyph in its flight path. Yang didn't hesitate running over and jumping onto the glyph, her powerful legs crouching and propelling herself high in the air. Weiss hardly paid attention to Yang's ascent while picking out another for Blake - and the girl sprang upwards readily. And next for Ruby, who showed no hesitation in taking to the skies.

Three in the air. Now the juggling could begin.

It was an art of sorts. It depended upon Weiss knowing her teammates' fighting preferences very intimately. Yang wanted to arrive right at the Nevermore's stomach, where she could grab on for a short ride. Blake wanted more distance, and she would use her ribbon to pick her own spot to land her first blows. And Ruby...Ruby could quickly handle groups before using her semblance to move from one to the other - skipping across the sky at far greater lengths than Blake or Yang normally could.

Distance and timing...both needed to be considered while split-second decisions were made.

Weiss summoned a glyph midair beneath Yang, who fell into it when her ride disintegrated mid-flight. Yang hit the glyph squarely, rocketing herself towards another Nevermore that didn't see her coming until too late. Ruby was next - she was about to finish with two Grimm and needed a lift to her next target. Blake had already roped another with her ribbon.

The Nevermores were confused now, circling and trying to find the huntresses in their midst. When Weiss opened a glyph to the side and above Ruby, she immediately shot into it and bounced away - straight through a Nevermore with Crescent Rose leading the way. Weiss caught Ruby below and sent her off to another group that just arrived. A series of glyphs around Blake's Nevermore allowed her to rapidly hit the Grimm from each direction while still soaring through the air, using each glyph in quick succession before using the final one to spring to her next target. While Blake did that, Yang needed another lift to a Nevermore higher off the ground.

It was a system built on complete trust. They trusted Weiss to pick the best path from her vantage point. They trusted her completely. Her.

A surge of self-doubt caused her concentration to falter, but she quickly shook the thought away. They trusted her. She couldn't let them down. She wouldn't let them down.

Falling back on her training, everything flowed easier. Two more glyphs for Ruby. Blake was ready to catapult across the field. Send Yang up to a group of two. Push Ruby over to help. Split them up to catch the incoming attacks. Move Blake closer for clean up.

The sky filled with black as the Grimm fell one by one. Bringing Blake and Yang to the same Nevermore, they destroyed it nearly instantaneously before Blake swung Yang towards another one and Weiss directed Blake away. Rapid shotgun blasts cut through the air. A Nevermore's cry was strangled from existence by a swiftly-constricted ribbon. Two cracks of a sniper rang out before Ruby sprang off another glyph using her semblance - a cloud of petals catapulting hundreds of feet through the air without ever touching the ground.

If Weiss was the conductor, they were her symphony - a beautiful one, at that.

It was a sight to behold as Blake and Yang tackled the last two Nevermores. Each of them used a series of jumps and pulls to ping around the creatures before destroying both at the same time. With the skies cleared and their primary target unprotected, Weiss created a line of glyphs that led Ruby directly to the nest.

Ruby took them like a superhighway - a cloud of red petals combining with Weiss' glyphs. At that speed, Crescent Rose would cut through just about anything.

Stepping out of the trees, Weiss brought Blake and Yang back to her - where they dropped from the sky and landed on either side of her in a crouch. From there, they watched as Ruby sliced through the nest - nothing but a blur with a hint of red from this distance - before pieces began to fall away.

At first, small branches fell from the edge of the nest, then a more substantial chunk broke off and collapsed through the trees - swaying the treetops and filling the air with cracking as branches broke on the way down. The destroyed nest had yet to hit the forest floor when Ruby was already on her way back to them, falling from the sky and landing with a grin as multiple thuds shook the earth beneath their feet.

After the rest of the nest tumbled to the ground, the forest was eerily quiet. The screeching and cawing of the Nevermores was gone. All that could be heard were some distance snaps and cracks as the forest reclaimed its stolen timber.

"Woo!" Yang yelled, breaking the silence while wrapping Weiss in a bear hug and lifting her feet off the ground. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about! I've missed that so much!"

As soon as Yang released her, Ruby rushed over and hugged her too, but this hug closer and longer.

"I knew you could do it," Ruby whispered in Weiss' ear before letting go - the two of them sharing a smile while Yang shook Weiss' shoulder several more times.

Over time, and with her wounded memories, she'd forgotten how much she loved being a part of this team. Together, they'd accomplished some amazing feats - and apparently they still had it in them for more.

Still grinning madly, Yang lifted one hand to call for an airship.

"Skies are clear - we'd like a nice view of it."

"You got it," came the reply. "Sit tight. You'll be out of there in a few minutes."

Dropping her arm to her side, Yang turned and kissed Blake before wrapping her in a tight hug.

"You totally rocked that, Blake!" Yang complimented her partner before turning back to Ruby and Weiss. "And Ruby - what'd you think of flying?"

Jumping off the ground, Ruby looked like she wanted to take off into the sky once more.

"That was the _coolest_ thing I've ever done!" she replied with a huge smile. "Do I have the _best_ partner in Remnant or what?"

Ruby's praise filled Weiss with warmth and happiness. And, for the first time in a very long time, she felt...whole. Maybe she wasn't completely healed, and maybe she never would be, but she certainly wasn't broken either.

She didn't know how many Nevermores were destroyed, but that hardly seemed to matter when their mission was successful. The skies were clear. The nest was gone. Even if it lasted for only today, this section of the forest was safer.

And if they needed to come back out tomorrow to take care of another growing threat...she was confident that they could handle it. She could handle it.

"Jeez! What would we have done without Weiss?" Ruby asked as another sound joined the still forest air - engines. Their ride home was rapidly approaching - racing further out into the forest to retrieve them now that safety had extended its reach.

"A ground battle. Doable, but longer and harder," Yang answered, tilting her head up and scanning the skies for the ship. Seconds later, it roared overtop them, shaking the tree branches from its proximity, before dropping into the clearing with its tail gate already lowered. Racing up the ramp, they were hardly aboard before the ship shot back into the sky and hurried back to Vale.

Even though the battle had ended, Weiss couldn't stop shaking. This time it wasn't in terror or fear, however, but in exhilaration and adrenaline. They'd done it. Everything went as well as she could have hoped for. No one got as much as a scratch of damage.

Ruby's instincts were all there. She didn't need to be told what to do - she just _knew_ what to do when the situation presented itself. Maybe she couldn't expressly recall her training, but the lessons seemed to have rooted themselves in her veins - flowing out without her realizing what she was doing. The more of this Weiss saw, the more she believed that when they finally started their training together, Ruby would remember more than anyone would ever expect.

But that was the way Ruby operated in every facet of her life - without trying, she could surprise, astonish, and amaze. With Ruby...always expect the unexpected.

With Vale in sight, Ruby reached over to hold one of Weiss' hands - both Thorn and Weiss' accompanying ring lighting up brilliantly as she did so. The feeling of metal against her skin was unfamiliar, but...it was something Weiss could get used to.

Squeezing Ruby's hand, Weiss was pleasantly surprised when Ruby squeezed in return and turned towards her.

"Thank you," Weiss whispered, smiling into caring silver eyes that held a love she'd never thought to be possible.

"For what?"

There were so many things Weiss owed Ruby thanks for. Forgiveness. Understanding. A second chance.

"For believing in me."

Smiling, Ruby nodded and said, "I'll always believe in you, Weiss."

And she always had. No matter the weaknesses or imperfections, Ruby believed in Weiss' ability to become a better teammate, partner, and person.

The airship landing had hardly come into view before Yang hopped out of her seat and walked towards the gate to leave. Blake followed suit as the ship lowered to the ground with the sound of landing gear locking into place. A slight bump and the engines cut off as the ramp lowered to let them out - back at the airship station, back within the confines of safety.

Back from another mission - safe and sound. It wasn't a feat to be taken for granted.

Still holding hands, the two of them stood, but Ruby held Weiss back instead of following their teammates out of the ship. Turning to Ruby in surprise, Weiss was met with earnest eyes and a smile.

"Will you stay over tonight?" Ruby asked hopefully.

The question was a relief. There was no way Weiss could sleep alone after spending the past few nights together.

"Of course," she replied with a smile of her own.

Clutching Weiss' hand a bit tighter, Ruby leaned forward to Weiss' ear, sending a shiver down her spine when soft lips lightly grazed her skin.

"I love you, Weiss."

When Ruby pulled away, she didn't go far. Instead, she tilted her head down an inch and kissed Weiss.

On the lips. In the middle of the airship. With every bit of passion Weiss had been dreaming about for over a year.

Yang or Blake were probably going to catch them, but right now she couldn't care less.


	42. Chapter 42

Waking up was easy to do. At least, that was the theme of the past few days. It wasn't even surprising that Weiss was still beside her - it was awesome! They got to roll out of bed together, get ready for the day together, walk out to the kitchen together.

Maybe that was the new theme - together.

It was weird to think that it wasn't that long ago when Ruby hadn't even known that Weiss was her partner. Now, that knowledge was as much a part of her life as cleaning up rose petals a gazillion times a day. It was awesome, too, because being Weiss' partner gave Ruby a built-in excuse to spend as much time together as possible.

There it was again - together! That's what partners were supposed to be. And they were great ones! Better than great, because they got to kiss, which was holy moly awesome-oly. Nothing sent Ruby flying out of bed like a kiss.

It was the start of a new day, but what was left to do now? Well, lots, actually. There was an entire list of videos to study. There were more hunts to go on. More practices and studying. After an entire year of training, there was still _more_ training to do. But, most importantly, Ruby wanted to spend more time with Weiss, doing all the things that partners were supposed to do together.

Staying with the theme of spending time together, this morning _Weiss_ made pancakes. They were like Yang's, only better because they were made with love! _Technically,_ Yang's were made with love too, but a different type of love. Ruby could taste the difference - it was like using two kinds of flour. Or forgetting flour in one and not the other. Or something that meant they tasted different.

Wasn't Weiss the most amazing person in the world? She could cook, _and_ she could kick the crap out of Grimm. How attractive was that?

Ruby had developed a new favorite hobby of watching Weiss cook. It was like watching a magician in the kitchen.

That rhymed, but it was also true! Weiss could whip up a batter in a few minutes flat. She could flip the pancakes better than the most masterful pancake masters across Remnant. But the _best_ part about watching Weiss cook was that her usual super-concentrated expression faded to a peaceful type of reassured movement. She _liked_ cooking. And Ruby liked eating. They were a match made in heaven.

They were the perfect match for other reasons too! It wasn't just that Weiss cooked and Ruby ate, but they also got along really well. And, don't tell anyone, but Weiss totally let Ruby put ice cream on her pancakes again this morning. It was _awesome_. Who needed syrup when there was ice cream?

The hardest part was convincing Weiss that ice cream was medically necessary for survival, but Ruby quickly figured out that her partner was a serious sucker for a good set of puppy dog eyes. Maybe the effect would wear off eventually, but right now Weiss was a complete softie! Not that Ruby minded, but she was getting spoiled big time.

By the time Yang and Blake finally woke up, Ruby was thinking about having another stack of pancakes - not much thought required because of course she was going to have more. When Yang walked into the kitchen, she lifted her nose and sniffed the air.

"Was I cooking in my sleep again?" she joked before giving Weiss a playfully-serious expression. "You know, I've forgotten what it was like to wake up and not have you here."

"It was more boring and less pretty!" Ruby answered in Weiss' defense.

"There's hot water on the stove," Weiss told Blake, ignoring Yang's tease.

Passing behind the table, Yang rustled Weiss' hair before pulling out a plate and dropping a stack of pancakes on it. Weiss straightened her hair with an audible huff, but didn't seem very annoyed by the action - which was good, because Yang did that _all_ the time.

"Get me more!" Ruby called out to Yang, who grabbed another stack of pancakes and casually tossed them towards the table. Squeaking in surprise, Ruby shoved her plate forward just in time to catch them in a haphazard pile. What had she expected - that Yang would bring them over and set them nicely on her plate?

Sitting down and cutting her pancakes in no particular manner, Yang took a bite before pointing a second pancake triangle towards Ruby.

"Ok Ruby - how would you rate Weiss' pancakes on a scale of one to ten?"

"Ten! Of course."

They were only the best pancakes ever - made by a real princess!

"And how would you rate mine on a scale of A to Z?"

"An A, duh."

Yang's were the best too - but in a different way.

"Looks like I win again," Yang said before popping the second piece into her mouth, undisturbed by Weiss' eye roll.

"It actually looks like you're still delusional," Weiss teased in return.

" _I'm_ delusional? Who's the one who got out the ice cream for breakfast?"

Whoops. Busted. Maybe Ruby should've put the container away before Yang got up...but Weiss didn't seem at all upset when she glanced towards the carton.

"She asked nicely," she retorted, catching Ruby's eye and sending her a wink.

Weiss _winked!_ And Ruby's heart nearly exploded from how cute it was.

"You're so whipped," Yang chuckled with a shake of her head. "But seriously. Did you move in and I missed the memo? How could I have possibly missed three truckloads of clothes being dropped off?"

"I don't mind it," Blake added, squeezing Yang's shoulder while walking behind her with a fresh cup of tea.

"It takes _three_ minutes for the water to heat up!" Yang replied in disbelief. "That's all she's gotta do to win you over?"

After taking a sip, Blake smiled and shrugged.

"Could do a lot in three minutes."

When Yang grinned, Blake put one finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, and Yang wiggled her brow before taking another bite of breakfast. And for once, the shushing gesture worked! Ruby would have to try that next time...normally trying to shush Yang only made her louder.

"Speaking of _doing_ things," Yang said with a smirk. "What're you two gonna do today?"

The question caused Ruby and Weiss to share a look of equal unknowingness.

"I suppose...whatever you want to do," Weiss offered.

"I wanna go back to our house and run simulations!" Ruby immediately answered. The response seemed to surprise Weiss, but after a few delayed seconds, she nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do."

"More training?" Yang asked. "Can't you take a day off and relax?"

"No way! I still have _years_ to catch up on. And Weiss needs to teach me all our moves again!"

When Yang laughed, Ruby felt a blush grow.

Maybe she should phrase that differently. They were _combat moves_ though! How could she make it sound less like...like...a different kind of…'moves?' Not that she was thinking about _those_ moves - until right now - but…

Great, now she was embarrassing herself without even saying anything.

Stuffing nearly an entire pancake into her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk, she hardly heard the buzz that sounded from the living room. It was only when she noticed everyone looking at her weirdly that she stopped eating.

"What?" she asked through a mouthful of food.

"I think that's your scroll," Blake commented before pointing to the living room.

"Oh! Really?"

Ruby's first instinct was to look at Weiss, who raised both hands to show that the message wasn't from her. If it wasn't from Weiss, then it was either from Yang or Blake, but they were all sitting at the table with her right now...

Taking her fork with her, Ruby raced into the living room and returned a second later with her scroll in hand. Absentmindedly sitting down and checking her messages, she found that she had a few that she missed this morning.

The first one - and second one - were from...Nora! Wait, how did Nora have this number? Had she just used random numbers until she found the right one? That wouldn't surprise Ruby at all...

 _'_ _Heard you killed some Nevermores - so jealous!_ _I wanted that one!'_

Grinning at the message, Ruby opened up the second and found a picture of a _huge_ King Taijitu with the caption ' _But look what I found!'_

"Holy cow," she gasped before turning the scroll so Weiss could see. After Weiss nodded in admiration, Ruby showed Blake and Yang across the table.

"I'm guessing JNPR took that Assassinate contract you were so against," Blake told Yang. "Look what you missed out on."

"Hey, I got to _fly_. Nothin' better than that. That's why Nora's jealous!"

"But look at this thing!" Ruby exclaimed while looking at the photo more closely. The giant snake was _still alive_ when Nora took the photo. Now _that_ took some courage. Or lack of sanity. Probably more of the latter. Actually, almost completely the latter.

"We could've taken that thing out easy," Yang replied with a scoff. "The Nevermores were a bigger challenge."

"Really?" Blake asked in disbelief. "The last time we went after a Taijitu that size, you almost ended up as snake food."

"I had that under control!"

"Please explain how you planned to get out of its jaws without me."

"I had a _ton_ of options -"

While Yang and Blake playfully bickered, Ruby read the last message in her scroll. It was another unknown number, but she vaguely remembered meeting the man in the photo. It was that guy from Beacon - the one with the good witch lady.

 _'_ _When you're ready, come see me.'_

Well, that wasn't cryptic at all.

"What's this mean?" Ruby interrupted. She handed the scroll to Weiss, whose brow creased when she read it before passing it to Yang and Blake. Yang's brow also furrowed, and Blake nodded once.

"It means we have more work to do."

"What kind of work?" Ruby asked.

"The important kind," Yang replied, but then shrugged and handed the scroll back. "We won't know until you're ready."

"What do I need to be ready for though? Does he need help cleaning out his garage or something?"

"More like cleaning out a section of forest," Blake muttered before taking another sip of tea.

"But how am I supposed to know if I'm ready?"

When Ruby looked around the table, no one seemed to have an answer to that question.

"You'll just know, Ruby," Blake finally said, to which Yang nodded in agreement. "You'll feel it."

Briefly frowning at her pancakes, which was _not_ the appropriate emotion to use with pancakes, Ruby finally turned to Weiss. Finding icy blue eyes studying her with unwavering intensity, Ruby wondered if she was ready now. Did she have the confidence to take on the unknown?

If she had to ask the question, probably not.

No, she wasn't ready yet. Weiss wasn't ready either. They both needed more confidence in their abilities, both alone and as a team. With more training and time together, they'd be ready soon. For what, Ruby had no idea, but they'd know in time.

Leaving the message alone for now, Ruby set her scroll down at the same moment Yang stood to get more food.

"You did great yesterday, Ruby," she said from the stove.

" _We_ did great! And we got rid of those Nevermores close to the walls."

"That's right. Cleared up the air - blue skies and smooth sailing once more." Walking back to her seat, Yang raised one hand and Ruby happily gave her a high five.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, turning her attention back to Weiss. "That reminds me that I have questions for you!"

When they got home last night, Ruby had been _super_ amped up. She spent several hours bouncing around the house before a severe adrenaline crash sent her tumbling into bed next to Weiss, which was the furthest thing from a bad night. But now that she was operating at a more normal frequency, she was ready to tear apart and analyze what they'd accomplished.

"Ok, so during the battle, you put a glyph here." Ruby raised one hand near her right brow and extended it as far away as she could. "And I was hereeee…." She set her other hand on the table to the left of her plate. "And the Nevermore was...uh…"

She only had two hands - how was she supposed to explain this?

A piece of paper and pen arrived in front of her via shadow, solving that riddle in a heartbeat.

"Thank you!" she said, smiling at Blake before drawing what she'd been trying to say. "Ok, so I'm this little guy," she said while drawing a stick figure. "And here's the Nevermore," she muttered, drawing a black blob with wings. "And your glyphs are here and here - I hit it here, here, here, and here before making it to the second glyph."

"Yes, so I put another one here," Weiss replied, placing a finger on the paper precisely where the third glyph had appeared.

"Right! But...should I have been able to finish it with just the first two?"

"You tell me," Weiss responded with a grin. Tapping the pen against the paper, Ruby bit her lip while thinking through the scenario.

"Welllll because you only gave me two, I'd like to think so."

The question was how? How could she have dealt more damage between the two glyphs?

Attempting to mimic what happened in the air yesterday, Ruby rotated the piece of paper and gasped when she saw it.

"Oh wow. That's smart." Beaming at Weiss, Ruby received a pretty pleased smile in return. "Ok, next time I totally got that. Oh! But what about this one?"

Flipping the page over she began to draw again. Ruby, Nevermore, glyphs...

"Why didn't you put the third glyph here?" she asked, putting a tiny 'x' where she thought one should've been.

"How would you get there?"

"Crossing the Nevermore's back!" She drew a line over the wingspan of the Grimm and circled the glyph.

"The margin for error for that is microscopic. What if you're not fast enough?"

"I'm plenty fast enough!"

"But _what if_ you're not?" Weiss repeated with emphasis. "How confident are you that you could make that every single time?"

Scrunching up her brow, Ruby thought about the entire situation in depth. What if she didn't make it in time? Well...that'd be bad. Very bad. And how confident was she that she could make it every single time?

Imagining herself back in the battle, she thought about how wide the wingspan of the Nevermore was. It was pretty dang wide. Plus potential wind resistance...and feathers didn't exactly offer the best midair traction.

A grin slowly grew when Ruby realized that Weiss was right. There were calculated risks they had to accept in battle, but this risk was senseless when there were better (safer) options.

"You're so smart, Weiss! What would I do without you?"

"Jump off Nevermores into the abyss?" Weiss joked with a warm smile.

"You're right! And that wouldn't be good at all."

Hearing a chuckle, Ruby looked over to find Yang and Blake watching them closely. Blake was taking a sip of tea, her eyes sparkling with joy while Yang leaned back in her seat and draped one arm around Blake's shoulders.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Nerds," Yang coughed into her hand before grinning again.

"If increasing our competency is considered 'nerdy,' I have no qualms with it," Weiss stated with a haughty air that only made Yang's grin grow.

"Of course you don't - you're just happy to be back to hyper-analyzing everything! Blake just tells me 'hey you screwed that up' and I say 'my bad, I'll try harder next time.'"

While Yang grinned, Blake rolled her eyes.

"I actually wouldn't mind if we analyzed a bit more," she commented before another sip of tea.

"Really? But...why haven't you said so?"

The expression Yang gave Blake was that of a hurt puppy dog - so incredibly sad that even Blake, who usually refused to bend under pressure, immediately backpedaled from the statement. "I'm kidding, totally kidding. What we have works perfectly. I don't want to change anything."

"Yeah, but like...if you want to draw diagrams and stuff…"

"Yang," Blake said firmly. "I don't. I suck at drawing. Besides, you're just as anal about strategies as Ruby is. You just have another way of doing it."

This time it was Weiss who laughed at the stunned look on Yang's face.

"I am?"

"She is?" Ruby asked in nearly equal surprise.

Wait. Maybe she should be surprised that _she_ was the one they were referring to as hyper-analyzing everything. Was she actually anal about it? She really didn't have enough combat experience to know! Learning about strategies was cool though. Once she had the fundamentals down, she could fine tune and tweak them until everything clicked perfect - oh.

"You are," Blake replied, smiling at Yang.

Weiss spoke up then, mimicking Yang's voice, "'Blake, was that throw ok? Blake, was that round ok? Did you need more time? Did you need more space? Did I give you enough lift?' You do the same thing, but it's all about Blake."

While Yang stared at Weiss in shock, Blake set one hand on her arm.

"It's cute," Blake added reassuringly.

Clearly Yang had no idea she'd been doing this, but after a few more moments of shock, she brushed it off with a smile.

"Well, if Blake thinks it's cute, then apparently I'm doin' something right!" When Blake stood to take her cup to the sink, Yang turned in her seat to follow her partner's movement. "But I could, ya know, draw some stick figures or something sometime. If that's what you want."

"I'd love to see you try," Blake teased, walking back to the table to take Yang's empty plate. "But don't worry about it. I'm serious - what we have works perfectly. Let's not mess with it."

"I dunno about perfect," Yang said with a grin that grew with every word. "But definitely _purrfect_."

When Yang rolled her r's, Blake rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you're cute. I'm going to let you get away with that one."

"Is today my lucky day then?" Yang asked with a big smile, standing from the table and cracking her back.

"Yes. You can put away the dishes," Blake teased while whipping the dishcloth towards Yang, who caught it out of the air with a chuckle.

"Damn...was hoping for a different answer," she mumbled before joining Blake at the sink. While the two cleaned up from breakfast, Ruby turned back to Weiss and pointed at the pages they'd been working on.

"We can try this out at home, right? There's gotta be enough space in the backyard to practice this type of stuff."

For a few seconds, Weiss just stared, but eventually she nodded - slowly.

"Yes. Yes, we can do that."

"Awesome! I want to! Can we? Maybe not today, but sometime soon?"

"Absolutely. Whenever you want."

"Ohh aerial practice. I'm so down for that," Yang butted in, rustling Ruby's hair before patting both of Weiss' shoulders. "Thanks for breakfast, Weiss!"

"You're welcome," Weiss replied before Blake and Yang left the kitchen - their voices quickly fading down the hallway. It was only when they heard the sound of a door closing that Weiss turned back to Ruby.

"I know you want to train," Weiss began, measuring her words carefully. "But maybe we can also spend some time together...outside of combat? We could go to dinner or a movie or...something like that..."

When Weiss trailed off and blushed, Ruby grinned.

"Are you asking me on a date?"

The question made Weiss' blush grow even darker, but she still met Ruby's eyes.

"I'm trying to," she said with a small smile.

Fortunately (for Ruby), that was the world's easiest question to answer.

"I've love to!"

Dinner sounded amazing. A movie sounded amazing. Dinner _and_ a movie sounded _fantastic_. But there was something else Ruby wanted to do - if Weiss was willing.

"I have an idea for what we could do," Ruby offered.

"What's that?"

"We can go back to Beacon!"

Whatever Weiss expected, it hadn't been that.

"...go back to Beacon?"

"Yeah! And re-enact our time there!"

"Re-enact…"

"Like act out," Ruby explained, growing more excited the more she thought about this genius idea. "You'll do that with me, right? I wanna know what it was like when we first met. And how we started dating. And what we did after classes. All those things. Are you a good actress?"

Mouth open, Weiss numbly shook her head and said, "No...I'm horrible."

"Me too! It'll be great!"

While Ruby grinned, Weiss thought about the idea long and hard before finally nodding, albeit hesitantly.

"As long as I also get to choose a couple of moments to show you."

"Of course! What do you have in mind?"

"Well, our first kiss for one."

Ruby instantly blushed at the comment, and Weiss struggled to hide a smile - clearly having expected that reaction.

Wait - had Weiss just intentionally made her blush?

"That was pretty smooth!"

" _Super_ smooth," Weiss added.

"Smooth as a cucumber!" Ruby quipped, making Weiss burst into laughter.

"'Smooth as a cucumber?' I think you mean _cool_ as a cucumber."

"What? No, it's smooth as a cucumber!"

"According to who?"

"According to Yang!" Ruby replied before her face fell with realization. "Oh."

The mixup only made Weiss laugh harder. "Have you ever even looked at a cucumber before?"

"Of course! They're green and super smooth! But with bumps!" When Weiss lightly laughed, Ruby continued to blush - but would willingly blush forever if it meant Weiss kept laughing.

"What I was trying to say is that...that's, uh, definitely a moment I'd like to remember…"

"And it's something I'd love to experience again," Weiss replied with a smile.

When Ruby noticed Weiss' eyes drop to her lips, both of them immediately turned away. Was it bad that she wanted to kiss Weiss right now?

"Then...maybe this week we can head back to Beacon for a day…"

"Yes! Oh, but won't you have to work?" Ruby asked, but Weiss shook her head.

"Part of the reason I was so busy the other day...was that I made preparations for my imminent departure from the company."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, so that I can devote my time to you. And training."

Weiss tossed the 'and training' part in as an afterthought, but that did nothing to stop Ruby's heart from swelling with affection.

Weiss was devoting her time to Ruby.

"Will you miss working?"

Any guilt Ruby felt disappeared when Weiss shook her head.

"Absolutely not. It was only something I did to occupy my time."

"Now I can occupy your time!" Ruby said, beaming when Weiss smiled right back at her.

This was great. Really, really great. If Weiss didn't have to work anymore, they could spend _all_ of their time together. Training and...being together. The theme of the year.

"Ok," Ruby said, clapping her hands. "Beacon this week. Training today - and all the other days. Can we start with Beowolves and work our way up to more difficult Grimm?"

"Sure. I can create a training schedule if you'd like."

"Yes! That'd be awesome! But today I wanna try The Horde."

She'd been thinking about that video since the night she first watched it. All those Beowolves…it made her drool nearly as much as the pancakes did. Not that she wanted to _eat_ the Beowolves, but the idea of fighting them - ok, it didn't _actually_ make her drool. But it made her really, really want to fight them, just like she really, really wanted to eat pancakes.

Maybe that wasn't such a great comparison...

Weiss was now looking at Ruby like she was crazy, which maybe she was. Crazy in loveeeee -

"I don't think we can finish that simulation -"

"But we'll try! And see how far we can get."

The idea made Weiss bite her lip, so Ruby reached over and took her hand. "It's ok to fail, Weiss. As long as we learn from it - and I think we've got a lot to learn!"

"You're right," Weiss finally replied, giving Ruby's hand a soft squeeze. "Then should we get ready?"

Ruby's plate was empty, and her stomach gave a happy grumble right on cue.

"Yup! Let's get ready!" she agreed, hopping up from the table and putting everything away in a flurry of petals. Once done, she skipped down the hall and was practically in a food coma by the time she reached her room. Too many delicious pancakes…and the ice cream too...

Tossing her scroll onto the bed, she collapsed backward onto it. So much for training! Maybe she needed a nap first. Only when Weiss sat down beside her did she sit up - with effort. A lot of effort.

"What's the chance we could take a nap first?" she asked, only somewhat seriously. Smiling, Weiss stood and pulled Ruby back to her feet.

"Come on, you can do it."

"I don't have the energy," she whined, relaxing her knees and slouching over Weiss' shoulders. Grunting with effort, Weiss pushed against Ruby to keep her from falling over.

"You're Ruby Rose," Weiss huffed, straining to keep Ruby upright. "You _always_ have energy."

"If only there was something that could recharge me..." Ruby joked.

"Well you need to be standing - first -"

That worked! Regaining her footing, Ruby looked at Weiss while her anticipation mounted. They were going to kiss. They were totally going to kiss.

Straightening her shirt and smoothing away some invisible wrinkles, Weiss then huffed.

"Great. Now that you're up, we can leave."

"Whaaaat?" Ruby whined, reaching out for Weiss' elbow before she could walk away. Ruby barely caught sight of a grin before Weiss' arms looped around her neck and pulled her down for the most wonderfully unexpected kiss.

It was a happy kiss, that was the only way to describe it. When Weiss' hand curled into a fist holding the back of Ruby's shirt, Ruby could _feel_ just how happy Weiss was. That joyful feeling made Ruby want to press even closer - to stay here longer and enjoy every little bit of that happiness.

Every time they kissed, it was getting harder to stop.

It was Weiss who broke away first, her cheeks adorably flushed while her breaths snuck out a little heavier than usual. And while Ruby had initially meant it as a joke, now it felt like her veins were pulsing with electricity.

Food coma destroyed!

"Are you ready now?" Weiss asked softly, her clear blue eyes finding and holding Ruby's.

"Uhh…"

Maybe she didn't want to train today. Maybe she wanted to stay here instead.

Somehow reading Ruby's mind, Weiss leaned forward and kissed Ruby's cheek.

"You want to try The Horde, remember? Let's do that."

Right. The Horde! All the Beowolves!

"Can we kiss for each Beowolf we kill?" Ruby asked hopefully. That could be like...six hundred kisses.

"Do you really enjoy it that much?"

"Uh, yeah," she answered with many nods.

Weiss was so, _so_ pretty. She smelled good. Her lips were soft. And she was just…super amazing. Who wouldn't love kissing her?

The answer made Weiss happy - although she tried to hide it by clearing her throat and nodding.

"I accept your proposal, with one modification. One kiss for each Beowolf _you_ kill. That should incentivize you to do your best."

Oh boy, would that ever.

"Good luck finding any for yourself!" Ruby joked while heading towards the door, already 'ready' to go.

The great thing about having an entire closet at the other house was that she didn't need to bring anything with her but Crescent Rose and Thorn! When they got there, she'd just find something else to wear that was completely new and also completely old. Not old like falling apart and full of holes - old like it sat in a closet untouched for a year.

"Do you need to tell Yang you're leaving?" Weiss asked when they were out in the hall, gesturing towards the bedroom door that was still closed.

"Uh...naw. I'll just send her a message," Ruby replied while waving her scroll in the air.

Satisfied with that answer, Weiss made her way out of the house with Ruby in tow - both of them grabbing their weapons from where they'd left them in the hall yesterday.

Again, there was already a car waiting for them out front, because Weiss was really good at requesting rides without Ruby noticing. Maybe she had some slick button on her scroll that was dedicated to hailing a cab - one press and a taxi flew out to wherever her scroll was currently located? That'd be a pretty sweet feature…

After racing down the walkway and sliding into the backseat beside Weiss, Ruby stuck Crescent Rose on the floor by her leg and looked out the window.

"This time I'm going to memorize the way there," she decided as the vehicle pulled away from the curb. This was her old home they were going to. It might be important for her to actually remember where it was - then she could always find her way home. To either home.

First, a left...then a right...then straight...then straight…

"You ladies wouldn't be huntresses, would you?" the driver asked them, glancing in the rearview mirror to catch their eyes.

"Uh…" Ruby stalled before turning to Weiss, who shrugged and gestured for Ruby to respond. "Yup!" she answered with a grin. "We are!"

"I'd hope so - otherwise I don't know if you should be carrying around weapons like those," he replied with a cheerful laugh. "Seen any big Grimm recently?"

"We have! Actually, we just go back from taking out a whole bunch of Nevermores!"

"Nevermores?" the man asked, sounding pretty shocked about a topic he brought up himself. "You're serious - Nevermores?"

"Yeah, but don't worry - we cleared them all out," Ruby said, shooting Weiss a grin.

"Wow. Nevermores…" he said again. "How big are they? My buddy says they're the size of a semi."

Ruby looked at Weiss, and then they nodded at the same time.

"That's pretty close," Ruby said out loud. "Their wingspan is _huge,_ and their claws are probably as big as my arm. And they're so _loud!_ Did you know that they're the loudest species of Grimm? They can shatter glass if close enough. _And_ they can reach speeds faster than a typical airship!"

While Ruby rambled about how _awesome_ Nevermores were, the driver kept glancing at her in the mirror, his eyes wide. But he seemed interested, so she kept talking and overlooked the way Weiss covered a smile with one hand while listening.

It was only when they pulled up to the cute little house where they once lived that Ruby stopped her in-depth analysis and gave the man a big smile.

"Guess that's all for now! If you're interested in learning more, I definitely recommend _On Nevermores_. Fantastic read. Oh, and thanks for the ride!"

"Pleasure was all mine," he said with a chuckle while clearing the meter and waving Weiss' scroll away when she tried to pay. "It's been an honor, ladies. Keep doing what you're doing."

"We will - absolutely!" Ruby answered before sliding out of the car and waving when the taxi drove off. "He was super friendly!" she said while turning to Weiss, who was spinning Myrtenaster absentmindedly in her hand.

"He was. I think you might've scared him a bit with your description of what a Nevermore actually looks like," Weiss replied before laughing. "He's going to have a great story to tell his friends tonight. The great Ruby Rose sitting in the back of his cab gushing about Nevermores…"

When Weiss walked towards the front door with another chuckle, Ruby jogged several steps to catch up.

"How would he know it was me?" she asked while falling into perfect step with Weiss.

"He might not, but he should be able to guess based on her." Reaching the front door, Weiss calmly gestured to Crescent Rose - who was doing nothing but minding her own business while being pretty and red! Although the bright red paint kind of stood out…

"Maybe it was _you_ he recognized!" Ruby retorted as she skipped through the door Weiss just unlocked.

"Me?"

"Yeah! I mean - you're Weiss Schnee - the prettiest girl in existence. No way he'd miss that!" Grinning at her genius bit of logic, Ruby was even happier to find that Weiss looked unsure of what to say in response.

"Plus, you kinda have white hair, you know," Ruby added while the two of them stood in the cozy entryway.

That comment finally made Weiss laugh.

"I _do_ have white hair, don't I?" she asked- most likely rhetorically, but Ruby nodded anyway. "Come on. Let's go find this horde of yours."

"Yes! The Horde!"

Ruby raced through the entryway and waited by the door leading down to the simulation - and waited some more when Weiss joined her. After waiting a few seconds more than was comfortable, she glanced at the handprint scanner before looking at Weiss.

"Uh...you wanna open it?" she finally asked when she couldn't wait any longer.

"Why don't you?"

"Because I can't...totally open it myself!"

Realizing what Weiss was hinting at, Ruby put her left palm on the scanner and watched a series of lights sweep from her wrist up past her fingers and back again. A second later, a pleasant chime rang out, the door unbolted, and Ruby's heart did a little flip in her chest.

This was her house. Her handprint was still stored in the scanner's memory. Maybe she was a different person, but her handprint was still the same.

"Got it!" she called out, holding the door and bowing Weiss forward. "After you, milady," she joked while Weiss walked through.

"Why thank you."

While they walked down the staircase, Ruby couldn't help eyeing the railing that led into the depths of the house. It was _so smooth!_ Smooth as a cucumb - nope. Not a cucumber. Smooth as a...hippopotamus? It was really smooth! She could probably slide all the way down - that'd be the most efficient way to get downstairs. She'd have to try that sometime.

When they finally reached the bottom, she again watched in awe as the lights clicked on and illuminated the bright room in a well-timed sequence heading away from them. She still couldn't believe that this was _hers_. Well, it had been hers. Was is still technically hers?

Regardless of who it belonged to, she couldn't believe she could use this room whenever she wanted.

"I'm so excited!" she gushed, unfolding Crescent Rose and swinging the weapon through the air with a few _shing, shings_ of metal slicing through...air molecules. "A thousand Beowolves. Bring 'em on!"

"These aren't _normal_ Beowolves," Weiss commented while tapping the screen located at one end of the room. "You thought that would be too easy, so you made them faster and more durable."

"What? Why would I do that?"

"You were always looking for ways challenge to yourself. And me."

When Weiss smiled proudly, Ruby felt a surge of warm, fuzzy feelings run through her veins. She _did_ like a good challenge...and she loved getting better at everything and anything! Plus, fighting against better-than-average Grimm sounded pretty fun.

"Ok, so a thousand faster, stronger Beowolves. Piece of cake!"

"That's what you think now…" Weiss said, pressing several more buttons and then stepping away from the podium. "Follow me."

When Weiss walked towards the center of the room, Ruby followed and watched as an entire forest sprouted into existence around them. Trees sprouted from nothing, surrounding them in a scraggly mess of dense evergreens. The air grew cold while the ground morphed into a soft, crunchy layer of snow.

By the time they stepped through a line of trees into a small circular clearing, puffs of steam billowed from her mouth when she exhaled. The sudden chill made her rub her hands up and down her arms in an effort to warm up.

"Brr! Why's it so cold?"

Weiss laughed, puffs of air coming from her lips while her cheeks grew rosy from the nip in the air.

"I have no idea why you liked the cold so much, but at least half of these simulations have snow in them."

While Weiss spoke, Ruby stared - not creepily or anything, but in a normal, totally adoring way.

Something about watching frozen breaths slip through Weiss' lips was...well, maybe that's why Ruby liked the snow so much. Not only that, but Weiss looked so good in white...and then the cold brought out rosy red life in her cheeks.

She looked really, _really_ pretty.

"Should we come up with a strategy or something?" Ruby asked when she realized she was staring and Weiss had already noticed. Glancing left and right through the crowded trees, Ruby briefly wondered how they'd know when the simulation began. How much time was built in before the Grimm spawned? Did they say something or make some type of motion to signal that they were ready?

"Ordinarily, I would say yes," Weiss replied, shaking Myrtenaster in her hand. "But we should probably figure out what our natural fighting rhythm is now. The only way we can do that is by making an attempt with no predetermined approach."

"So…" Ruby began while her mind tried to decode that sentence into real people words. "We'll just...wing it?"

The much more understandable explanation made Weiss smile and nod.

"Yes, we'll 'wing it,'" she repeated while swishing Myrtenaster through the crisp air. "Thorn will change a lot of our style anyway."

"Won't that be a bad thing? We'll have to start from scratch!"

Starting over was something Ruby did when she woke up in the hospital with a nasty headache. Starting over meant lots of hard work and discomfort - lots of failing and trying again only to fail again. She'd just gone through it and knew how hard it was, so the last thing she wanted to do was make Weiss start over too.

At least, that's what Ruby initially thought, but that thought disappeared when Weiss lowered Myrtenaster and shook her head.

"Starting over isn't necessarily a bad thing."

The response made Ruby beam - because if Weiss was ready to start over, so was she! Not that she really had a choice - the reset button for her life was pressed a _long_ time ago. She could always try to learn the exact same patterns so that Weiss wouldn't have to change her fighting style, but learning together...that'd be even more fun. It would be a new challenge - one they could tackle together.

"Are you ready?" Weiss asked, her blue eyes searching Ruby's for an answer.

"Yes! I'm ready - for everything."

Satisfied with the response, Weiss flipped Myrtenaster quickly to the side. The motion was so fast that it looked like nothing more than a nervous tick, but the next second a howl broke through the forest. The sound was so lifelike that Ruby felt a row of goosebumps rise on her arms. Maybe those were from the cold...but suddenly this forest seemed very, very real.

This was only a simulation, but her adrenaline was beginning to pump full force.

"Remember - move towards the first group," Weiss gently instructed before turning around and standing right at Ruby's back. Nodding to herself and holding Crescent Rose at the ready, Ruby focused on the woods in front of her - a semi-circle patch of land that was now her responsibility.

The trees were still, but there were sounds now - twigs snapping and steps racing across the snow, growing closer by the second. From what she saw in the video, she knew that the first wave of a thousand Beowolves was tearing through the woods towards them.

The next second she spotted them - nothing more than flashes of red amongst the trees before bony black shapes and white claws grew more and more prominent. Her gut instinct was to call out to Weiss, but then she remembered that she didn't need to say anything. As soon as the Grimm passed the treeline, she would burst forward, and Weiss would know that that's where the fight began.

Watching the nearest Beowolf sprint towards her, her muscles coiled in anticipation. The instant a millimeter of Grimm crossed into the clearing, she released her muscles and shot forward with a healthy dose of her semblance. The first Beowolf hardly recognized her new position before she swept Crescent Rose forward in a diagonally-arcing swipe that ended the simulation's brief existence. A cloud of silver pixels burst into the air, but there was no time for celebration because the next Beowolf was already on top of her - followed by numbers three, four, and five.

Crouching when one of the Grimm lunged past her, she swept her weapon along the ground and caught the remainder of the enemies in a circular burst of speed. By the time the lunging Beowolf regained its footing and spun around for another attack, it was blasted to the side by a stream of ice from across the clearing. The blow stunned it for long enough that Ruby easily cleaned it up with one swift blow.

The first group was easy - more of a warm-up than anything else. What came next would be much harder.

The next two groups arrived in unison from opposite sides of the clearing. Rushing towards one group, Ruby figured that Weiss would take the other. But that wasn't being a team player, was it?

Leaping through the air, Ruby lowered Crescent Rose and hooked into a Beowolf. When she heaved the creature towards the trees, it dissolved into a shower of sparkles. Immediately spinning to the left, she pinpointed Weiss' position before drawing back and letting Crescent Rose fly with as much energy as she could muster. The weapon cut across the small space before slicing through two Beowolves behind Weiss.

While her weapon was temporarily away, Ruby used her semblance to zip out of the way of attacks and find a better position - because Crescent Rose was coming right back.

After quickly tapping out the code, she blocked an incoming claw with Thorn - hardly feeling the blow - before watching Crescent Rose take off the arm that had just attacked her. Two quick up and down swings dispatched two more Grimm, but it felt like there were two replacing each one she got rid of.

Beowolves streamed from the trees and filled the clearing in black - slowly pushing her and Weiss towards the center while they attempted to hold their ground.

Determined to keep the battle going, Ruby focused on her semblance and shot towards the nearest Beowolf at full speed. The creature had zero chance of survival and - after she sliced through that enemy - she found a wonderfully-placed glyph that allowed her to fly in the opposite direction, leaving behind the claws slashing through the air where she'd just been.

Moving in Weiss' direction, Ruby ducked when a huge sword whizzed over her head, catching and destroying at least ten Beowolves who weren't as fortunate in their head-retaining prowess. Before the soldier ended his swing, Ruby popped up on the other side of him and launched Crescent Rose into the crowd of Grimm to Weiss' right. The weapon caught five on the way out and two on the way back before a clump of four burst apart in what looked like shards of glass.

As soon as her weapon was back in hand, Ruby spun in a semblance-powered circle that dashed any nearby Beowolves into smithereens. The second her feet hit the ground, she searched out Weiss and slid to the right in order to support. Not that it seemed like Weiss needed much support! A complex series of glyphs opened above, behind, and between the Grimm before a white flash swept between them and they disappeared.

Maybe they were doing ok right now, but they were quickly being overrun. The Grimm were swarming - filling the clearing with black, leaping overtop of each other trying to reach Weiss and Ruby. If this was a real life combat situation, this was the moment Ruby would _seriously_ consider making a hasty retreat. Since this was only a simulation, that wasn't necessary - but if they were going to do this, they had to work together.

"Weiss - coming at you!" Ruby shouted before blasting a path through the Grimm that had been in front of Weiss. With a lane temporarily cleared, she established a foothold immediately behind Weiss - the two of them back-to-back once more.

"Hold here?" Weiss asked breathlessly, shooting off a stream of ice that locked an entire line of Beowolves in place before a jet of fire broke them apart.

"It's our best shot!" Ruby called back while whipping through some of the more complex motions she'd learned with Crescent Rose. Drawing nearly the entire alphabet in the air to catch and destroy every bit of Grimm that tried to enter her path, she never stopped moving - knowing that the second she stopped, they'd lose.

Left, right, left, right, rotate, repeat. Over and over again - an endless pattern of death that held the Grimm at bay. But then something new tingled at the edge of her mind - something she'd never experienced before.

Left, right, left, right, kick, grab, spin.

In the midst of her movements, there was something else...like a shadow in the back of her mind that was less visible the more she tried to find it. It felt like...a weird mirror covered in smoke.

Left, right, left, right - but also...up, left, right, slash, retreat.

They were movements, but not hers.

Holy Grimm - it was Weiss! Ruby could _feel_ Weiss' movements without seeing her! Like tuning into a foggy radio frequency and barely being able to make out the words.

A new group of Beowolves pushed forward on Ruby's left, but she _sensed_ Weiss move to meet them - allowing Ruby to slide to the right to keep their formation intact. The moment she focused on the immediate threats piled up in front of her, however, she lost track of Weiss. Poof. Just like that, Weiss was gone. Not _gone_ gone, but gone from Ruby's new radar thing.

When a claw shot out of nowhere, Ruby snatched the creature's arm and locked on tight with Thorn. Swinging Crescent Rose around in her right hand, she angled the gun up and squeezed the trigger. When the Grimm disappeared with the crack of a rifle, she switched hands and used her stronger arm to pitch her weapon into the nearest group of enemies before immediately recalling it. In the meantime, she used Thorn to send a furious set of punches into a Beowolf's chest before finishing it off with one swing of Crescent Rose.

In the itty, bitty, microscopic moment that followed, she tried to find Weiss again without turning around. There was nothing but static on the radio this time, so she searched a little harder. How did she do it the first time? Right now, there was nothing but static and -

"Ruby, watch out!"

Spinning to the left, Ruby ducked under a set of snarling jaws but tripped backwards while trying to get out of the way. A pair of arms caught her and quickly shoved her back to her feet, but then a loud blaring noise broke through the air and everything stopped. The Beowolves froze in place in a variety of different stances and positions - and when Ruby turned around, she groaned.

"Aww crap," she mumbled when she saw the Beowolf swiping a heavy claw across the path where Weiss was standing.

Ruby got so distracted trying to figure out how to sense Weiss again that she messed up. And then, when Weiss tried to help, a Grimm shot through their defenses and landed a critical blow.

"That was my bad," Ruby said, taking steady breaths while looking at the many Beowolves in front of her.

In her mind, she replayed what just happened - the exact steps she took and the ones she _should have_ taken to avoid this ending. She'd been so focused on Weiss that she hadn't taken care of herself. And then Weiss had been so focused on trying to help that she hadn't taken care of _herself_.

"That was partially my fault too," Weiss admitted, walking calmly in front of the frozen Grimm. "This is why we practice - to learn how to survive these situations while hardly thinking, only reacting. Still, I'd say this was an excellent first attempt, all things considered."

"You think so?" Ruby asked, her eyes flitting away from Weiss when the simulation faded back to the bright white room and the chill in the air began to lift.

"Why don't you go see how we did?" Weiss asked in return, gesturing towards the podium at the far end of the room. Grinning, Ruby jogged over to look at the screen - and her eyes widened in surprise.

"We made it over halfway!" she called out excitedly, glancing up while Weiss walked more leisurely back to her.

"Like I said - a tremendous first attempt."

Biting her lip, Ruby looked at the screen one more time. It was written there very plainly…five hundred and eighty-seven. That's how far they made it with no training together! Well, a lot of training together, but none that Ruby could remember.

Weiss was right. That was pretty awesome for their first try, but next time they could finish the entire thing. Ruby knew it! Just a few changes and they'd be more efficient and deadly. Plus, if she hadn't gotten so distracted trying to feel Weiss, they probably could've made it to seven hundred at least.

Feel Weiss like feel what she was doing, not like - not like _that_ type of 'feeling.'

But seriously, what was that? Was that another partner thing? Were they _that_ connected? Because that was awesome. If Ruby could figure out how to use it, the possibilities were endless! Knowing where Weiss was without seeing her...Ruby could definitely use that to her advantage - like for winning every game of hide and seek. Or for _partner stuff!_

"Now that we've tried it once, are we allowed to strategize?" she asked, growing curious when Weiss laughed. "What?"

"I'm sure you've already thought of at least ten ways to beat this," Weiss replied. "And I'm happy to hear them."

"Not yet, but I will!"

Were there patterns that could be repeated to catch all of the Beowolves before they moved too far into the clearing? The most obvious answer was to run in circles, but depending on the location and intervals at which the Grimm arrived, that could be less efficient than a more 'on demand' type of style. Plus, if one of them ran into a larger group and got delayed, it would throw the entire strategy off. But if they developed some type of alert system…

Breaking away from her rapidly-running thoughts, Ruby grinned when she found Weiss smiling at her.

"Sorry, totally spaced out there."

"No need for apology. I enjoy watching you think."

"Really? That's cool because I enjoy watching you sleep!"

The response was supposed to be nothing, but Weiss actually blinked in surprise.

"You watch me sleep?"

Sensing the potentially embarrassing goof she just made, Ruby waved her hands and tried to backpedal away from the (true) statement.

"Not _technically_. I mean, yes technically, but if you think about it….like, what is sleep anyway? Who gets to decide what 'sleep' is or isn't? I think that's a good question, don't you?"

Her masterful backpedaling was supposed to make Weiss forget what she just said - instead, Weiss laughed, raised one perfectly-arched brow, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I have an even better question though!" Ruby continued before Weiss could get a word in. "How do I find out how many Beowolves _I_ killed?"

 _That_ worked. Weiss' jaw snapped shut and her cheeks grew the cutest shade of light pink. From now on, Ruby was going to call that color _Weiss pink_.

"If you look in the details…" Weiss mumbled, tapping a small icon on the screen and moving aside so Ruby could take a look.

"This is so cool!" she said while scrolling through the very detailed...details...the computer system had put together. She could spend a _ton_ of time going through this type of data! Average Grimm speed. Average speed by huntress. Longest Grimm life. Shortest Grimm life. Number of attacks per Grimm. Average distance traveled. All the good stuff!

But listed at the top was exactly what she was looking for. Two separate line items - one with her name and one with Weiss'. Oh! Then the cameras could tell the two of them apart! Had that been programmed based on color scheme or some high-tech imaging software?

Right, but at the top - total kill broken down by huntress! Next to Ruby's name, it said…three hundred and thirty-seven.

"Three hundred thirty-seven?" she said out loud before and blushing deeply. Three hundred and thirty-seven Beowolves. That meant she'd won...the same number...of kisses.

"That's…a lot."

Hearing Weiss clear her throat, Ruby turned to the side and caught a shy smile.

"That _is_ a lot. Congratulations."

"You didn't forget our deal, did you?" Ruby blurted out, blushing even more when Weiss' cheeks turned a darker red.

"I didn't. But before that...are we done down here for the day?"

Biting her lip and looking around, Ruby felt her brow furrow with indecision.

"I don't know...what're we supposed to do now?" she asked, searching her mind but not finding an answer. Should they run through the same simulation again? Try a different one?

"We can do whatever you want to do," Weiss replied, reaching out and gently taking one of Ruby's hands.

"Normally, I train all day. Is that what we're supposed to do? Or is there like...something more?"

"We still do much of the same. We use the combat room. We sit in the study and pore over strategies. Not much will change from what you've been doing. We'll just be…"

When Weiss trailed off, Ruby grinned.

"Together?"

"Yes." Relieved that Ruby finished the sentence, Weiss squeezed her hands. "We'll be together."

That answer was more than enough. That's what Ruby wanted. She still wanted to be a huntress, but she wanted to be a huntress _with_ Weiss. It was the best of both worlds, wasn't it? Her goal was the same, but it had grown to incorporate her rapidly changing life and the rapidly changing people in it.

If someone told her a few months ago that she'd have her partner back - and her _girlfriend_ back - have friends like Nora sending her messages, fight in The Beacon Invitational and go on hunts and learn about her past and _everything_ that had happened recently...there was no way she would've believed them.

"Can we go to Beacon tomorrow?" she asked, pressing forward when she read the hesitation in Weiss' eyes. "Because I think I'm ready. For more pieces of my past."

Beacon was important to both of them - it's where they started their journey a long, long time ago. It would be nice to spend a day reconnecting pieces of that past, if only so that Weiss wouldn't be the only one holding onto those memories. Plus, Ruby really wanted to hear more stories about the two of them when they were younger!

"Please?" she added with a pleading expression.

Even though Weiss initially looked unsure about the idea, she put on a determined expression and nodded.

"Then that's what we'll do."

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed, punching Thorn in the air in happiness. "And can we make spaghetti for dinner tonight?"

"If that's what you'd like. We'll need to go to the store first though."

"But that'll be fun too!"

Grinning at their plans - which all sounded awesome - Ruby suddenly paused and gave Weiss a curious look.

"When will I stop getting what I want all the time?"

The question made Weiss laugh - the joyful sound echoing through the empty combat room.

"I'm not sure," she answered with a shake of her head. "But it probably won't be any time soon."

"Yes!"

Now _that_ was an answer Ruby liked to hear! Now she needed to ask for everything she wanted sooner rather than later.

"And can we go over my questions now?" she asked. "You said we should wait until after the hunt, which was totally genius, but _now_ is after the hunt..."

"Whatever you want," Weiss teased, taking Ruby's hand and pulling her towards the staircase. "I'm just happy to be here with you."

"Together."

When Ruby added the word, Weiss made a soft "mhmm" while they began their long climb back to the main floor of the house. Their house. The one they'd lived in together. The one they were staying in together.

Ruby really liked that word.


	43. Chapter 43

**Only a handful of chapters left, and the 'main' story will wrap up shortly!**

 **Also, whoever reviews this chapter first will be the 1000th review on this story! Wow, thank you all so much for following and reviewing. You have no idea how much it means to me!**

* * *

It wasn't long ago that Weiss dreaded Beacon's expansive grounds. Every meticulously groomed lawn, sparkling pathway, and towering building seemed permanently attached to memories she'd spent the last year running from. During her time away, she physically avoided the campus like it carried some new version of plague, but she also did her best to block any thought or news of the school from entering her mind.

Yet for the second time in a few days, she was stepping off the airship's ramp and looking towards the buildings which had served as her safe harbor for many years.

The visual greeting was the same as it had always been, but every time she returned it seemed as if so much had changed. From her first step onto campus, to graduation, to the most recent Beacon Invite they participated in, to now. Every time she stepped off that airship's ramp, she felt the magnitude of the changes in her life that had occurred while she was away.

This time was no exception.

Although her absence had been significantly shorter, so much had changed - and for the better. As she exited the airship hand-in-hand with Ruby, she could only imagine her previous anxiety of telling Ruby the truth. She could only vaguely recall her deeply-rooted fear of losing everything once again.

"Beacon, Beacon, Beacon," Ruby chanted under her breath while they walked the wide pathways leading to the main campus.

The closer they grew to the heart of Beacon, the faster Weiss' heart beat in her chest. While her memories of the past weren't as acutely painful as they once were, they were still present. She felt them lurking just underneath the surface, although it was difficult to tell if they were lying in wait or simply...lying around. Would they suddenly spring to life and overwhelm her with their intensity? Or would they continue to be nothing more than a soft, ever-present undercurrent in her life?

Today was a challenge for which she was unprepared but also determined to tackle with every bit of courage she could find within her. She'd never done well with uncertainty - that's why she trained and studied and planned so meticulously her entire life. Today was no exception, but for Ruby...she was willing to try her best.

"We should start at the beginning!" Ruby chirped while swinging their joined hands. "When we first met!"

"Even though I already told you that story?" Weiss asked while her eyes scanned their surroundings. Since it was a school day, the campus was much less crowded than the day of The Invite, but there were a few groups of students roving the grounds on their way to and from class or practice.

"You _told_ me, but I wanna see it!"

Sighing in resignation, Weiss squeezed Ruby's hand and led them towards the spot of their unfortunate introduction. At the time, running into Ruby had been nothing more than an annoying blip on the first day of her intended conquest of Beacon's hall of records. But now...the inauspicious beginning was a marker Weiss used for the moment her life had changed for the better.

If she could go back in time, she'd give the past version of herself a good slap on the back of the head and say, 'That girl - yes, the one you were just extremely rude to - is going to be the most important person in your life in just a few months. So behave.'

Unfortunately, the past version of herself would have merely scoffed at the advice.

The pathway widened in front of them, branching out into the wide, circular space that marked the start of every student's journey through Beacon. The main gates towered up ahead, but Weiss paused and stared at the ground under their feet.

"This is it," she said in nothing more than a whisper while nerves trembled through her hands.

She considered it a tiny silver lining that Ruby couldn't remember the person she once was. Did she really want to undo one of the only benefits of what they'd been through?

Of course she didn't, but she was committed to seeing this through. Plus...Ruby's hand was still clasped around her own - an ever-present reminder that she had support through this day.

"Imagine my suitcases are here -" she explained while gesturing towards the ground near where she believed they were standing at the time. "And you just fell into them - spilling vials of Dust all over the ground."

Looking at the empty ground, Ruby giggled. "Did I completely fall over?"

"What do you think?" Weiss asked with a grin.

With a little giggle, Ruby dropped Weiss' hand and did a little hop and tumble that landed her on the ground. When she rubbed at her elbow in apparent pain, Weiss immediately worried that she accidentally hurt herself, but she didn't say a word. Instead, she remained seated and looked up at Weiss with shining silver eyes.

"What next?"

What was next? A memory that still filled Weiss with guilt and regret...which she would now recreate for Ruby to see and hopefully not judge too harshly.

Straightening her posture and squaring her shoulders, Weiss searched within herself for the vein of self-righteousness that would likely never leave - ingrained in her through years and years of near-constant scoldings.

"What are you doing?" she snapped at Ruby. "Do you have any idea the damage you could have caused? This -" Reaching down, she picked up an invisible vial from the ground. "Is _Dust_ \- from my own family's quarry. Are you even listening? Is any of this _sinking in?_ What do you have to say for yourself?"

While Weiss waited for an answer, Ruby stared up at her with wide eyes. After blinking several times, Ruby finally laughed, popped back to her feet, and swiped a hand across her pants to brush off any dirt.

"Oh my _Grimm_ \- that was so cute!" Ruby squealed, taking Weiss' hands and spinning them in a circle.

Taken aback by the response, Weiss could only reply, "What?"

"Yeah, you're all...bossy!"

"I _was_ bossy," she agreed, still miffed by the positive response to what had been a very rude introduction. "But I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"Naw, I partially deserved it. If I fell into a bunch of Dust, I could've blown us sky high!"

"Well...there is that…" Weiss replied with a grateful smile, a swell of relief washing through her as she searched around them for more details to provide. "This is where you met Blake, too. She walked up from over there. She heard the entire thing and stuck up for you."

"She did?" Ruby asked, turning in the direction Weiss had pointed.

"Yes. She was actually pretty insulting to me, but I ignored her and stomped off with my butlers."

"Your butlers?"

"Of course. Did you think I would carry my own bags to the dorm?"

"Uh...no? I mean, I thought that's what the unicorns were for."

Laughing at the joke, Weiss retook Ruby's hand and led them away from that memory and towards another.

The initial wave of uncertainty seemed to have left her - especially now that she'd gotten through that without so much as a dent in Ruby's cheerful grin. If Ruby wasn't disappointed by one of their worst encounters, then Weiss had reason to believe the rest of their day would only get better from here.

Maybe this would actually be a little fun.

"Why don't we go see our dorm next?" she offered.

"Yes! The place where we _first_ lived together." Ruby hopped forward in excitement, partially dragging Weiss along with her. "I'm so ready!"

"Don't get too excited. We'll probably only get to see the building. Plus, the rooms were criminally small for four people."

"Probably on purpose!" Ruby quipped while they walked towards the main auditorium before taking a left towards the dorms. "Nothing says 'team bonding' like being forced to live on top of each other!"

"You know...I never thought of it that way."

Glancing around, Weiss took in the ample green spaces and sparkling new buildings constructed after their graduation - none of them for student housing. Beacon had plenty of space and plenty of funds to build more dormitories, yet they used the same set of buildings for years.

"You could be right."

Unintentional genius. That's what Weiss called Ruby's random musings that normally turned out to be far more brilliant than initially expected. It was a subject Weiss was fond of trying to demystify - spending hours hypothesizing what it was that made Ruby's incredible intellect seem so...well, surprising. After years of careful study and research, Weiss had deduced that it was Ruby's delivery which undermined her well-placed insight. The grin and ever-present smile reduced the weight of her wisdom, and her younger age didn't help.

"That building right there," Weiss pointed out as they turned off one of the main paths and headed towards a long, tall building with rows and rows of uniform windows. The entrance consisted of double doors made entirely of glass, through which several students disappeared up ahead of them.

"Right! I remember this one, kinda."

"There's another one right over there," Weiss mentioned while gesturing that way. "We used to have competitions between the two buildings - we usually won, of course."

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" As Ruby said the words, she skipped forward and opened the door for Weiss.

Later, Weiss would give Ruby details on the competitions that had been held, and how exactly they won so many of them. But right now, she stepped through the doorway, took a deep breath, and felt familiarity wash over her like a wave of incredible homesickness.

The warm lights spaced along the walls and hung from the ceiling, the industrially tan carpet, the well-worn chairs in the lobby - some occupied by students either studying or chatting - the smell of whatever cleaner was still used, the soft noises of future huntsmen relaxing before or after a hard day's work…

It was as if they'd never left.

"Wow," Ruby whispered, stopping just inside the door while her eyes took in the sights. "This looks...awesome."

"We spent time here after classes," Weiss said softly, not wanting to draw attention their way. "Watching TV or...well, there _used_ to be some game tables in that corner until it became a bit too competitive."

When Ruby did nothing more than nod her head, Weiss gently pulled her partner up the staircase on the left towards the hall leading to their old room. Nothing inside the building seemed to have changed since they'd been gone. In fact, it was so similar that this could easily be the two of them walking back to their room after class or practice, not the two of them visiting again after years of being away.

Turning into the hallway – _their_ hallway - Weiss' feet tried to slow her down as their destination approached. They might have succeeded too if her hand wasn't still connected to Ruby's - and Ruby hardly slowed down for anything.

"This is it."

Pulling Ruby to a stop, Weiss nodded towards the closed door on the left side of the hall. It looked the same as all of the other doors in the building, but it was more than just a door. It was more than just a room. This was where she'd learned the value of friendship and comradery. This was where she'd discovered that success was more than just being top of the class.

Ruby took a step closer, looking at the door before turning to Weiss and then to the door again.

"Are we gonna go in?" she finally asked, pulling Weiss a step closer with their still joined hands.

"Ruby, this isn't our room anymore. Someone else lives here now."

"Yeah, but we can knock and ask!" Ruby replied, to which Weiss chuckled and gestured for Ruby to do as she wanted. It was unlikely anyone would be home during the middle of a weekday anyway. First years usually had classes all day.

That wouldn't stop Ruby though, who walked right up to the door and knocked three times. Several seconds later, Weiss was surprised when the handle turned and the door opened - revealing a young girl standing inside. She was medium height with a slender build and short, dark hair that was on the edge of pure black, but her most defining feature was her eyes - a deep purple that would make Yang jealous.

"Hi!" Ruby said when the girl looked between them somewhat warily. "My name's Ruby, and this is Weiss. This used to be our dorm room like...a lot of years ago...and we were just wondering if we could take a look inside!"

"You're...Ruby Rose? The huntress?" the girl asked, her eyes losing all caution as they grew wide in recognition.

"Yup! Wait, did I say that?" Ruby asked, turning to Weiss in confusion.

"No," the girl replied before motioning them inside and pointing to a spot on the wall above the door.

Curious, Ruby glanced at Weiss before walking into their old room. Already knowing precisely what the girl was pointing at, Weiss took a deep breath and followed Ruby inside before turning around to look up at the wall.

'Team RWBY was here!' was scrawled above the doorway in permanent marker, accompanied by a slew of designs Ruby had drawn herself. Underneath, they'd signed their names - after being ordered to do so by their team leader on the day they moved out. Yang had written her name above Blake's with a heart in between them. Ruby had connected her name to Weiss' with an intricate set of petals that created a beautiful snowflake encapsulating both of their names.

"I'm surprised that wasn't cleaned off," Weiss commented while looking up at the memory she'd assumed was washed away years ago.

"No one lets them," the girl explained with a small smile. "Everyone wants Team RWBY's room."

"I mean, who wouldn't!" Ruby exclaimed, spinning around and throwing her arms out towards the beds. "Look at this place - it's awesome!"

Following Ruby's gaze, Weiss took a good look at the new room while a small ache blossomed in her chest.

The beds had been raised as bunk beds using far more structurally-sound methods. Gone were Yang's posters of the AchieveMen and Blake's stacks of finished and unfinished books. Gone were Ruby's haphazard piles of spare weapon parts and Weiss' meticulously organized school materials. In its place was someone else's life - someone else's belongings. But their names remained...a vibrant reminder of what once was.

"Oh cool! I love bunk beds!" Spinning back around - moving quickly out of excitement - Ruby found their host and smiled. "Uh, sorry I don't think I got your name?"

"I'm Violet," the girl introduced herself with a nod.

"Violet! What a cute name!" Ruby replied, beaming all the while. "So, Violet, which one is yours?"

"That one," Violet replied, pointing to the bed on the bottom left of the room - which was very appropriately covered in a lavender bedspread.

"That's where mine was," Weiss added, smiling when both of them turned her way. "Ruby was up top. Then Yang and Blake."

As she pointed out the beds, she heard a soft humming drifting through the open door before another set of footsteps padded into the room.

"Hey Vi, I got you a -"

The words abruptly stopped when a second team member walked into the room, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open.

"No _way_ ," the canine Faunus said while pointing a cookie towards Ruby. "You're Ruby Rose!"

"Uh, guilty?"

"Holy - Grimm! And you're Weiss Schnee!" the girl continued while turning to Weiss. "You're like, half of Team RWBY! Vi - half of Team RWBY is in our room - I mean, their room." Pausing to shake her head, throwing her dark brown ponytail in a swirl, the girl grinned when Violet laughed at the starstruck response.

"Oh man, Russ and Lil are gonna be _so_ bummed they didn't get to meet you guys!"

"This is Skyler," Violet said while the newest arrival looked at them with a giddy, open-mouthed smile - her dark brown tail swaying happily back and forth. "She's our team leader."

"But you can call me Sky!" the girl was quick to add.

Russ, Lil, Skyler, Violet.

Skyler, Lil, Violet, Russ.

"SLVR?" Weiss asked, to which both girls nodded in unison.

"That's us!" Sky replied with a grin. "Only the best team at Beacon!"

"The best?" Violet asked with a disbelieving look.

"Ok, best in our year - is that better?" Sky corrected before turning to Ruby. "Will you race me?"

"Uh…" Ruby replied, looking at Weiss for help.

"I'm pretty fast! Like one of the fastest in our year!" Sky added as an incentive. "Please? I've always wanted to race you! They say you're the fastest girl in the history of the school!"

"What? Really? Is that true?"

When Ruby looked at Weiss again, she nodded in agreement with the lofty praise.

"You were. No one could touch you."

"Until Sky came along, apparently," Violet replied with a shake of her head.

"Ok, _obviously_ I'm not gonna beat Ruby freaking Rose in a race, but I can still try!"

While the two girls bantered, Ruby gave Weiss a look that asked what they should do next. When Weiss nodded encouragingly, Ruby broke into a huge smile and turned back to the two girls that she probably saw more as peers than students.

"That sounds like fun! We can race down the hall and back?" Ruby asked with a grin that only grew when both girls' jaws dropped open in surprise.

"Y-yeah! That sounds great!" Sky managed to reply while Violet numbly nodded her head. Weiss fought the urge to smile at their starstruck reactions while the four of them walked into the hall, which had seen its fair share of foot races in their day. Unbeknownst to Ruby, she had, at one time or another, raced every single person who lived on this floor with them - and beaten them all.

"Vi. Vi. Please tell me you'll record this."

"You getting your butt kicked by Ruby Rose? Absolutely."

While Violet held up her scroll, Sky said, "Yes!" and bounced around the hall with the energy of a puppy before finally standing right beside Ruby - looking at Ruby with unmistakable admiration in her eyes.

"Down and back just once?" Ruby asked, not seeming to realize just how big of a deal this was to the younger girls.

"Yeah! I mean, unless you wanna race further or something."

"I think down and back will be good enough," Weiss added while giving Ruby a quick wink. "We don't want to tire them out too much. I'm sure they have classes they're missing out on."

With a knowing smile, Weiss turned towards the two members of Team SLVR and watched the dismay grow on their faces while Sky's tail abruptly ceased its wagging.

"Uh...we're...sick, you see? Vi and I woke up with bad colds," Sky sputtered before faking a cough into one hand.

"Oh! If you're sick, we probably shouldn't race -" Ruby said with genuine concern but a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"What? No, I'm not that sick!" As Sky backtracked, she waved both hands through the air before extending one towards Ruby. "Uh - do you want a cookie?"

Letting out a delighted sound at the offer, Ruby accepted the cookie and ate half of it in one bite.

"Sorry Vi - I just gave your cookie to Ruby Rose," Sky whispered out of the corner of her mouth towards her teammate.

"Completely ok with that," Vi whispered back, still recording the entire thing for posterity. After Ruby polished off the cookie, she wiped the crumbs from her hands and clapped them together.

"That was great! Ok, you ready?"

"Yes! Totally!" Hopping forward, Sky struck a sprinter's pose on the floor. As her concentration narrowed in on the hall in front of her, her tail finally came to a complete stop while her muscles quivered in anticipation. Meanwhile, Ruby brushed a fuzz off of her shoulder and gave Weiss a blinding grin.

The grin said more than words ever could - Ruby was having a lot of fun. Then again, she'd always loved meeting new people, especially new huntsmen - something she now seemed ready and able to do after her injuries faded into the past.

"Violet? Why don't you say 'go?'" Ruby asked, directing her words towards the girl still hiding behind her scroll.

"Oh, ok! Ready...set...go!"

As soon as the word left Violet's mouth, Sky shot out of her stance and took off down the hall - her long legs carrying her swiftly towards the opposite wall. Ruby watched the girl run with a goofy grin on her lips, turning towards Weiss and nodding in appreciation. Meanwhile, Violet stared at Ruby - the scroll still recording - and waited for her to do something.

"She _is_ fast," Ruby commented with a nod of respect.

"I agree," Weiss answered, watching Sky break out of the turn and come flying back towards them.

Leaning into Weiss' shoulder, Ruby whispered, "Should I let her win?"

Chuckling, Weiss shook her head. "They _want_ you to impress them," she replied in a low voice, patting Ruby's arm in reassurance.

Nodding to herself, Ruby looked over and found that Sky was practically back to them - with only a quarter of the hallway left to go. The next second Ruby was gone, shooting off in a stream of rose petals before skidding to a stop in front of them an instant later. Sky returned a split second after, putting her hands on her hips and staring at Ruby in shock.

"Did you - even move?" she huffed while sucking in deep breaths of air.

"Uh, Sky…"

Catching her leader's attention, Violet nodded towards the hall. When Sky turned around, she found the fresh petals marking a clear path where Ruby had just been.

"Holy...Grimm…"

"So when they said you were _fast_ , what they apparently meant was _supersonic_ ," Violet clarified, shaking her head before an idea popped into her mind. "Can we spar you guys?"

"Yeah!" Sky immediately piped in, her tail going full force again. "Team SLVR versus Team RWBY!"

"That sounds like fun!" Ruby replied, this time without turning to Weiss for assistance and taking the lead on her own. "But how about after you graduate?"

"Yes! I wanna go toe-to-toe with Yang Xiao Long," Sky said, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

"She's going to wipe the floor with you."

"Nuh uh! I've got a plan!"

"Really? What is it?"

"I can't tell you right now," Sky said while blatantly motioning her head towards Ruby and Weiss. "That'll give it away!"

While the two teammates playfully bickered, Weiss chuckled. The interaction brought back memories of when they were in school - when the four of them teasingly squabbled over practically everything.

"I hope you're not planning on using her semblance against her!" Ruby commented, smiling when Sky's eyes widened in surprise. "Because that's been tried before, and I can personally tell you that it hurts."

"I'm _sure_ you weren't planning on doing that," Violet teased while elbowing her leader in the side.

"Uh...yeah, definitely wasn't my plan."

Giggling at the obvious lie, Ruby took her place by Weiss' side and reached down to hold her hand.

"Guess we should let you guys get to class, but thanks for letting us see our old room! Looks like it's in good hands."

"It is! We'll take good care of it for you guys!"

"I appreciate that," Ruby replied in a teasingly serious tone. "And thanks for the race - that was fun. We'll see you guys in a couple years, so you better study hard!"

The two members of Team SLVR shared a quick glance before resolutely nodding their heads. When Ruby and Weiss turned to walk away, she overheard Sky hurriedly whisper, "We should go to class," before both girls ran back into the room.

"You just made their year," Weiss commented while they headed towards the staircase.

"I can't wait to spar against them!" Ruby replied with a cheerful hop. "We need to get _really_ good before they graduate."

"Yes, because _that's_ why we should practice. Nothing to do with Grimm or keeping the city safe, but to ensure we can beat a group of recent graduates."

"That _and_ keeping the city safe and stuff!" Throwing a grin Weiss' way, Ruby tried to jog down the steps way too quickly, but thankfully slowed down when she realized that Weiss would be dragged along with her.

"That was so much fun though!" Backing into the door leading them outside, Ruby again held it open for Weiss. "I can see what you mean about the rooms being tiny. I can't believe all four of us lived in there at the same time."

"There was a serious adjustment period, believe me." Thinking back on their first few days spent as a team, Weiss shook her head. "Especially between Yang and me."

"You two didn't get along?"

Noticing the way Ruby's eyes sparkled with unconcealed eagerness at hearing some drama from their past, Weiss shook her head again.

"She takes _way_ too much time getting ready in the morning," Weiss explained. And somehow, the complaint still came out as a whine after all these years. "Other people need to get ready too! She's not the only one who wants to look nice for class."

Pausing their aimless amble away from the dorm building, Ruby gave Weiss a sympathetic expression that worked wonders in soothing away a minor annoyance which had stuck with her all this time.

"Yang _does_ take forever getting ready," Ruby agreed with a diplomatic nod. "Why didn't we like...enforce a time limit on everyone? That way it's fair."

The solution instantly brought a smile to Weiss' face.

"You know, that's exactly what you suggested the first time," she replied, giving Ruby's hand a loving squeeze. "And it worked. There were hardly any fights over the bathroom after that."

"Almost like I'm the same person!" Ruby's next step was a joyful skip before she came to a stop and turned in nearly a complete circle. "But where are we going now?"

With a smile locked in place, Weiss took a deep breath of the warm midday air and searched around them. On the walk away from the airship, she'd hoped the memories would stay at bay, but now she was inviting them out into the open - beckoning them back into the light. Everywhere she looked, she saw them clamoring for her attention. 'Pick me, pick me' each seemed to say. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to get through even a fraction of them today, but she could choose some of the highlights.

"Would you like to see where you asked me out?" Weiss asked when her eyes fell upon the building up ahead.

" _I_ asked _you_ out? Wow, way to go past me!"

Smiling at the genuine surprise in Ruby's tone, Weiss led them towards their next destination. It was one of the classroom buildings, but its location across from the dining hall meant that there was almost always a steady stream of students milling around outside. Ruby probably chose the location for this reason - that, or she'd wanted to see the cafeteria at the same time she asked Weiss out.

"Yes, you're the one who asked. Although, if I'd been able to summon the courage, I might've asked earlier."

"Awww were you nervous? I bet that was super cute!"

"I was...unsure." Leading them between two buildings, Weiss pulled them to a stop and waved towards the location forever burned in her memories. "Here it is."

The two of them looked up at the slanted roof for a few moments while Weiss fondly remembered that day from so many years ago.

"So...I asked you after class or something?" Ruby finally asked, cutting into the memory and reminding Weiss that she needed to share her thoughts out loud.

"It was after dinner, actually."

"Like right here? Out in the open?"

"Well, I was standing right about…" Looking around, Weiss took three steps backward. "Here," she finished.

"And where was I?"

Weiss grinned at the question and nodded towards the roof of the building.

"You were up there."

When Ruby's eyes followed the direction Weiss gestured in, her expression filled with confusion.

"I was up there? Why was I on the roof?"

"That's how you decided to ask me," Weiss explained, thoroughly enjoying telling Ruby this story of their past. "We'd just walked out of dinner - for the life of me, I can't remember if anything special happened during dinner - and when we came outside, you told me that you had something important to ask. 'Very important' you said."

At that time, Ruby had been practically vibrating with untapped energy. Knowing better than to deny a request when Ruby was prepared to bounce off the walls, Weiss had sighed and acquiesced.

"I was a little annoyed because we had a big project to work on, but said 'sure' and you told me to wait right here," she continued explaining. "Then you climbed on top of the roof. I yelled at you to get down, but you wouldn't listen. Instead, you started shouting for the entire world to hear…"

"What did I say?"

The eager question made Weiss chuckle while remembering that day.

"'Weiss,'" she repeated as best she could from memory. "'You're the best partner ever - and I like you a lot. Like a _lot_. I want you to be my girlfriend - will you go out with me? I'm not coming down until you say you'll go out with me!'"

"Really? I did that?"

Smiling, Weiss turned to Ruby and nodded.

"You did. It was one of the best moments of my life. Mortally embarrassing, but also wonderful."

Biting her lip, Ruby looked at the roof and then nodded with an air of finality. The next second, she dropped Weiss' hand and jogged towards the corner of the building.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelped, reaching out but missing her chance to grab Ruby's arm, and instead chasing after her and watching her clamber up the staggered bricks in the wall. "What are you doing? You can't go up there!"

But Ruby was already pulling herself over the ledge to the roof and standing unsteadily on her feet.

"Get back down here!" Weiss called up to her. "You could hurt yourself!"

"We're re-enacting, Weiss!" Ruby replied with a big grin before glancing towards a group of students walking across the lawn. With another grin, she stood up straight and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Ruby, don't you dare!" Weiss yelled.

But it was too late.

"Listen up Beacon!" Ruby bellowed across the ground, drawing every eye within hearing distance her way. "I - Ruby Rose - am in love with Weiss Schnee! That's right - that beautiful girl standing right there!"

When Ruby pointed down from the roof, Weiss felt her cheeks grow atomically hot in no time.

"Ruby!" she tried again, but Ruby just beamed down at her while someone in the background whistled in approval.

"She's the best partner ever!" Ruby called out to a group of "Here here!"s in the distance. "And I'm so happy she's my partner!"

"Ruby, get down here right now!" Weiss demanded, stomping her foot once while steam very nearly rolled off her burning cheeks. Still grinning, Ruby finally dropped down to join her.

So much had changed, but that was just as embarrassing as it had been the first time.

Grabbing Ruby's hand, Weiss dragged her partner into the building to escape the curious eyes that were now glued upon them. Once inside, she lowered her voice in the sudden quiet.

"I can't believe you did that," she muttered - turning around with a huff, only to find Ruby beaming with pride.

"I can't believe I did that either!" Ruby squealed, lowering her voice when Weiss gestured for her to be quiet. "Oh man. That was awesome. I'm definitely gonna remember _that_ forever. Or...at least until my next head injury."

Even though Weiss was pretending to be disgruntled by the healthy dose of embarrassment, her mind kept repeating what Ruby had just shouted for the world to hear. 'I'm so happy she's my partner!'

If Weiss' heart belonged to anyone, it was Ruby. She didn't care who knew about it, but the fact that Ruby also didn't care...it was more than Weiss could ever ask for.

Breaking from her adoration-filled daze, she quickly glanced around the lobby of the building and found it empty at the moment. Classes must still be in session.

"We had quite a few classes in here," she explained while gesturing towards one of the hallways. "Want to take a look?"

"You read my mind!"

Shaking her head at the obvious answer, Weiss took Ruby's hand and led them down a hall with closed doors on either side. Stopping at the first door, Weiss peeked through the small window and found a classroom filled with students raptly paying attention to their lesson. At least, some students were paying attention. Others were very clearly drawing doodles in their notebooks instead of taking notes.

"Beacon wasn't only about training with our semblances and weapons," Weiss whispered while Ruby crept up to the door and peered through the glass. "We were also instructed on subjects that would help us after leaving the school. Dust Theory, History of Vale and Remnant, Grimm Anatomy, Team Strategy…"

"We should sneak in!" Ruby whispered excitedly.

"We probably shouldn't," Weiss answered, glancing through the window one more time. "They're in the middle of a lesson."

"But I wanna hear it!"

"Ruby…"

"Please? Come on; I forgot all of the lessons I learned - let me catch half of one!"

Pursing her lips, Weiss thought over her options. She could stand her ground, but then Ruby would be disappointed that she missed out on a true Beacon experience. Or she could agree and they could try to sneak in, but most likely they'd be caught and then who knew what would happen.

There was an obvious answer to this predicament...and it wasn't the one where Weiss turned down Ruby's request. Because at this point, it didn't seem like she was able to turn down _any_ of Ruby's requests.

"Fine. But we have to be _quiet_."

Raising one fist in excitement, Ruby brought it towards her and mouthed 'yes!' without making a sound. Shaking her head, but taking the lack of words as acceptance of the direction, Weiss _carefully_ twisted the knob on the door. Once the latch released, she pushed it open just far enough for her to slip inside, with Ruby right on her heels.

Finding a pair of empty seats in the back row, Weiss gestured with her head and crouched while sneaking over to them.

"Ruuuuby Rose!" Professor Port's loud voice almost immediately bellowed out, freezing them in their tracks mere feet inside the door. "And Weiss Schnee! What an unexpected pleasure."

When every eye in the room turned their way, Weiss straightened and softly cleared her throat while her cheeks burned at the intense attention they were receiving. Seemingly at a loss for what to do, Ruby waved her hand and said, "Uh, hello, sir."

"'Sir?'" Professor Port repeated before chuckling. "My father was Sir - you can call me Professor."

"Uh, yes sir - professor!" Ruby stammered. Reaching over, Weiss touched Ruby's arm in a silent signal that she would try to talk them out of this.

"Sorry to have interrupted, Professor," she said politely. "We were curious about the subject matter for today, but we'll get out of your hair now."

As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Ruby's arm and tried to lead them back to the door.

"Well, wait a minute -"

Cringing at the words, Weiss threw on another polite smile and turned back towards Professor Port, who was now using one hand to smooth both ends of his mustache.

"It's not often we're blessed with such esteemed guests," he said before waving a hand towards the floor beside him. "I'm sure my students would love a demonstration of what a true huntsman is capable of."

Resisting the urge to sigh out loud, Weiss gestured for Ruby to follow her down the steps. They'd already been caught red-handed and had their graceful exit dashed...and she couldn't think of another way to remove themselves from the situation while saving face. Their best option would be to oblige in their former teacher's direction.

While walking down the aisle towards the section of room the Professor used as his pulpit, Weiss didn't miss the looks of dismay they garnered. And she certainly didn't miss the whispers of excitement that were spreading throughout the room.

At least everyone was paying attention now.

"Uh, Weiss," Ruby whispered while they passed between rows of students. "I totally agree with you. Sneaking in is a bad idea."

Shaking her head, Weiss couldn't resist smiling when they met Professor Port in the middle of the room. Drawing up to his full height, he smiled at Weiss before positively beaming at Ruby.

"Miss Rose," he said in a quieter voice while dipping his head in respect. "It's an honor to have you here in my classroom today."

"Thank you, s-uh, Mr. Professor," Ruby stammered. When Weiss reached out and touched Ruby's elbow in assurance, Ruby shook her head and found a true smile. "I'm happy to be here!"

"Now let's show everyone how _true_ partners work together," he called out before gesturing grandly for Ruby and Weiss to take the floor. Stepping off to one side, he nodded at them.

"Uh...what do we do?" Ruby whispered out of the side of her mouth while everyone stared at them in expectation.

"We show them how _true_ partners work together," Weiss repeated while her mind raced to think of something worthy of displaying. Ruby's speed was always impressive, but how could Weiss factor into the equation?

"I have an idea," she whispered. "Use your semblance in a circle." As she spoke, she motioned quickly around the room. "Keep a steady pace and be prepared to stop."

With no further instruction, Ruby nodded and jogged over to the edge of the floor while Weiss moved into the center. As she took a deep breath, she watched Ruby disappear into a cloud of petals that made several students murmur in surprise.

A steady wind picked up, swirling around Weiss while a red blur made lap after lap around her. Petals flew in all directions, and the students watched raptly now, some with jaws dropped as Ruby showed them why she'd earned the title of fastest huntress on Remnant.

Grinning at the respect Ruby rightfully deserved, Weiss took another deep, calming breath and closed her eyes. Focusing her mind and reaching out into the darkness, she found Ruby's presence in the room. There. There. There. There.

The laps were completed as steady a metronome - never changing pace, always beginning and ending at exactly the same time. It was precisely what Weiss needed Ruby to do.

With Ruby's position blipping like a dot on her radar, Weiss focused on her own semblance and summoned her soldier into creation once more. Drawing him up, she threw him towards the ceiling until he towered far above her head, filling the room while more murmurs of surprise swept the space beyond her concentration.

With her eyes closed, she could feel the sword clutched in Ronnie's hands. Within her mind, she watched as he passed the hilt from one hand to the other before raising it high above his head, nearly scraping the ceiling in the process.

There. There. There. There.

The instant Weiss felt Ruby's presence pass the point directly in front of her, Ronnie slammed the sword into the ground and gasps of surprise swept through the room. The wind died down, but the smell of roses remained...and when Weiss opened her eyes, she was greeted by Ruby's cheerful grin - with Ronnie's sword stuck into the floor a mere inch from her feet.

"Bravo!" Professor Port called out, clapping his hands together twice while joining them in the middle of the room. Turning to the dumbfounded students, he said, "Let that be a lesson to you all - teamwork takes years of practice, but can lead to extraordinary results if fostered appropriately."

When he turned back to Ruby and Weiss, he gave them a slight bow. "Thank you both for the demonstration."

"Thank you, Professor," Weiss replied before grabbing Ruby's hand, offering a quick curtsy to the onlookers, and leading Ruby up the steps and out of the room. Excited whispers followed them out while Professor Port loudly cleared his throat to regain the attention of his class.

"Students -"

When the door shut behind them, closing out Professor Port's booming voice, Weiss finally let out a sigh of relief. Of course, Ruby was beaming as if that had been the best thing to ever happen to them.

"He seemed really cool!" she said while obediently following Weiss back to the lobby and away from any more classroom forays. "Man...I wish I could go to a school like this. Having real huntsmen drop in and give demonstrations…"

"Ruby, you _did_ go to school here," Weiss reminded her.

"I know, but...it seems super awesome, and I wish I remembered."

"I wish you did too," Weiss admitted as a pinprick of guilt appeared. Pausing in the lobby, she took Ruby's other hand and looked into her silver eyes. "I'm sorry that you don't remember, but I'll explain everything to you. In as much detail as you want. If you want to go through every single day we spent here, I'll try my best to remember for you."

When Ruby smiled at the offer, unbridled relief flowed through Weiss' veins. For as much as she'd wished away her memories from Beacon, now she was eternally grateful to still have them in her possession. She would use them to give Ruby back as much as possible.

"But how did you know where I was?" Ruby suddenly asked, nodding towards the classroom they'd left behind. "I saw you - you had your eyes closed! How did you time it so perfectly?"

"I don't always need to _see_ you to know where you are."

The response made Ruby's jaw drop in surprise before she hopped between her feet in excitement. "Then it's true then? We can...feel each other?"

"Yes," Weiss answered, her amusement growing as she watched Ruby continue to bounce on her toes. "In a way. It becomes easier with steady training. Although I'm not sure if it's actually sensing you or just being intimately familiar with your tendencies."

"Either way!" Turning to fall in step with Weiss, Ruby shoved the door open and led them into the sun. Once outside, she turned and gave Weiss a shy smile. "I thought that I could feel you yesterday. When we were fighting in the combat room."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But then when I focused too much on it, it went away."

Feeling her brow crease in thought, Weiss looked at Ruby to ensure she was serious - which, of course she was, because it wasn't like Ruby to make something like this up.

"Wow," Weiss remarked when the news fully sank in. "That's -"

Surprising? Amazing? _Early?_ It had taken them years to develop that link at Beacon, yet Ruby had already grasped onto it after a handful of fights together?

It was realizations like these that led Weiss to believe that their connection hadn't been as severed as she believed. Sure, Ruby had no actual recollection of their time together, but something within her seemed to have maintained ties to their training. The years of effort they'd poured into becoming the best partners Remnant had ever seen...that work hadn't completely vanished. Bits and pieces had survived, hidden deep within Ruby's mind just waiting to be unearthed.

The memories of Weiss had been wiped from Ruby's mind, but their bond hadn't been fully broken. Just look at how quickly they'd grown this close once more...

"Oh, I promised you this one," Weiss suddenly said, pulling Ruby off the main path and around the corner of the cafeteria. Since there were no entrances or exits on this side of the building, it wasn't a path used by many students on a typical day. Instead, it was just a smooth strip of green hidden from view.

In the short moment of privacy, Weiss pulled Ruby closer - so they hugged the wall of the building and were even more out of sight. Rolling up to her tiptoes, Weiss kissed Ruby softly on the lips before falling back to her heels and feeling a blush grow.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," she whispered, recalling her words from that day. "I hope that was alright."

"That was -" Ruby started to say before clearing her throat and grinning like a fool. "That was _more_ than ok."

Smiling slyly, Weiss reached up and straightened Ruby's collar.

"I thought you lost your memories from Beacon," she teased, allowing her hands to rest on Ruby's shoulders. "But you seemed to have remembered that one."

" _Actually,_ now that you mention it..."

Rolling her eyes when she realized what Ruby would say next, Weiss tilted her chin up and accepted Ruby's kiss - wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck and pulling her even closer. It might not be a decent action while in public, but each time they kissed, she was finding it harder and harder to stop.

After the _three hundred and thirty-seven_ Beowolves Ruby managed to personally destroy yesterday and the ensuing reward (which hadn't even approached fulfilling that entire amount), Weiss deserved a medal for her efforts in maintaining Ruby's innocence. Multiple medals. Of course, the last thing she wanted was a _medal_ …

Breaking away and pressing one hand to Ruby's collar to prevent pursuit, Weiss turned to the side and tried to slow her heart to a more normal pace.

"It didn't go _quite_ like that," she mumbled, turning back when she heard Ruby's pleased giggle.

"I dunno, I kinda liked that version!" As Ruby grinned, her eyes quickly scanned their surroundings before landing once more on Weiss. "This was where we had our first kiss."

The words were issued like a statement, but Ruby's eyes asked them as a question that she wanted to be confirmed out loud.

"Yes," Weiss replied with a nod. "This was where we had our first kiss."

Feeling Ruby's fingers curl against her waist, Weiss shivered as tingles traveled down her spine.

"Our first kiss," Ruby repeated with that same goofy grin. "And I asked you out right over there -" Briefly glancing over her shoulder towards the classroom building they couldn't see anymore, Ruby turned back to Weiss with that same grin set in place. "Beacon has everything, doesn't it?"

Laughing at Ruby's happiness, Weiss nodded in agreement.

"Something for just about everyone, yes."

The words caused Ruby's eyes to light up with an idea.

"Oh! Blake told me the story about how Yang asked her out. She said there was this clearing in the woods - do you know where it is?"

"I do," Weiss replied. "Do you want to see it?"

"Kinda. So I can complain to Yang about it!"

While Ruby smiled, Weiss took her hand and led them away from their secluded hiding place.

"Follow me."

"How do you know where it is?" Ruby asked while they backtracked across campus.

"Because I watched you fill it with petals," Weiss answered, leading them away from the main buildings and down a well-worn path towards the outer reaches of the Emerald Forest. This particular clearing was well known across Beacon because it was remote, but in a section of woods that was considered 'safe.' She could only imagine the number of confessions that had occurred there...away from the prying eyes and ears of fellow team members.

The path away from Beacon led directly to a break in the massive trees edging the forest in front of them, but Weiss stopped before setting foot inside.

"We really shouldn't go out there unarmed," she said regretfully.

"Then let's get our weapons!" Racing forward several steps, Ruby spun around and put both hands on her cheeks. "Oh my god. I've never used a locker before!"

"Now's as good a time as any," Weiss remarked while nodding for Ruby to call Crescent Rose and Thorn - who'd been safely stored in the weapon locker last night after they finished with their training. Squealing in delight, Ruby dug her scroll out of her pocket and tapped several buttons before Weiss heard the telltale whistling of a locker about to plummet into the earth at their feet.

Taking one step back as an extra precaution, Weiss smiled when Ruby let out a loud "whoop!" of excitement as the locker lodged itself in the ground between them. Another 'first' that Weiss had the immense pleasure of witnessing a second time around - Ruby's undisguised joy in such 'trivial' matters still found a way to warm Weiss' heart.

While Ruby gleefully retrieved her weapon, Weiss turned to the side and summoned Myrtenaster as well. Seconds later, they were fully armed and prepared to walk into the trees.

"It's not far." Stepping under the shaded canopy, Weiss turned to make sure Ruby was right behind her. "There probably aren't any Grimm this close, but…"

"Better to be safe than sorry!" Ruby replied.

"Exactly."

Studying the ground at their feet, Weiss picked out several paths taken by students when they headed out on various training missions. Straight ahead led deeper into the forest for lessons that would almost certainly involve real Grimm. The path to the left led to a stream and cornucopia of wildflowers and fruits used for survival lessons. And to the right - the clearing Ruby wanted to see for herself.

"So a locker can follow your scroll, right?" Ruby whispered while trailing Weiss along the narrow pathway broken between various shrubs and aged trees.

"Yes."

"Then theoretically...if I held my scroll and kept moving...the locker would follow me?"

Quickly connecting the dots for what was not-at-all an innocent question, Weiss stopped walking and turned around.

"Please don't have a locker chase you. That sounds incredibly unsafe."

"It'd only be unsafe if it caught me!"

"And what would happen then?"

Deliberating for several moments, Ruby pondered the ramifications of a several hundred pound rocket-powered metal tube 'catching' her. Eventually, she shook her head and smiled.

"I can dodge bullets! No way that thing could get me!"

"And how do you know you can dodge bullets?" Weiss asked, her alarm growing right along with Ruby's sheepish expression.

"Ruby!" she exclaimed when no response came within a reasonable period. "Alright - which one was it? Blake or Yang? It was Yang, wasn't it? How could she _possibly_ think that was a good idea -"

"Woah woah! It wasn't Yang - it was totally me! I rigged up a little contraption for myself!"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Weiss retorted, lowering her voice when she thought she heard a twig snap nearby.

"Kinda...ok, I won't do it again, 'k?"

Pursing her lips and straightening her posture, Weiss finally determined that the response was satisfactory and nodded to symbolize as much.

"You're very important," she said in a gentle tone. "Not only to me, but to many other people as well. I hope you've seen that today."

"You're right. I'll be more careful - promise!" When Ruby took both of Weiss' hands in earnestness, Weiss smiled and pulled Ruby forward.

"Good. And we're here." As Weiss stepped backwards through the trees, she watched Ruby's eyes widen in amazement at what she saw.

It seemed like such a simple thing - a clearing in the midst of the forest - but what made it so worthy of marvel? Was it the way its circular shape seemed too perfect to be real? Was it the tall, majestic white tree trunks hemming them in on all sides? Was it the angle of the afternoon sun, which shone down on them and illuminated half the space with ease? Or was it that they were out here together - in the peace only afforded when the buildings and city lights fell away?

"Now imagine it filled with petals," Weiss said, leading them to the center of the clearing before releasing Ruby's hands. "Every single inch of the ground covered in red."

Biting her bottom lip and turning in a full circle, Ruby eventually returned her gaze to Weiss.

"I wanna try something out!"

No sooner had the words appeared did Ruby disappear in a breath of roses. Curious, Weiss watched while Ruby zoomed in rapid circles around the clearing, sending petals everywhere. It was just as Weiss had seen all those years ago...when Ruby had been on a mission to help her big sister in any way that she could.

When a fair amount of petals littered the forest floor, Ruby suddenly spiraled into the air, creating a vortex of wind that moved quickly upward. Following her partner's movements, Weiss stared in wonder as the sky above her filled with petals - as if she was standing inside a whirlwind of roses.

Seconds late, the wind abruptly stopped and Ruby dropped down from the sky - landing in front of Weiss in a crouch before reaching out to take both of her hands. Meanwhile, Weiss watched the petals drift back to earth from far above the treetops...looking as if it was snowing roses around them.

"Would it be lame if I told you that I love you now?" Ruby asked, finally drawing Weiss' gaze downward. The feeling of smooth metal against her skin was a reminder of Thorn's presence, but the glowing lines of perfectly-painted thorns were also a reminder of the connection that ran between them.

"No."

Weiss' breath caught in her chest while looking at Ruby's beautiful silver eyes with a backdrop of rose-colored snow falling behind her.

"I love you," Ruby said with an easy smile.

"I love you too."

Dropping Ruby's hands, Weiss threw her arms around Ruby's neck and hugged her close. She held Ruby until the last of the petals fell to the ground, and only then retreated to find Ruby's eyes.

"That was beautiful," she admitted, much to Ruby's delight.

" _You're_ beautiful," Ruby replied before immediately blushing - as if she hadn't expected those words to slip out. "But, uh, thanks for coming back here with me. I had a lot of fun today."

"Surprisingly, I did too."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Weiss answered before looking around at the petal-strewn ground and sighing in content. Today had gone better than she could have ever expected.

"But how are you feeling?" she asked when realizing that she hadn't been the only one participating in this potentially stressful day. "Are you feeling at all...overwhelmed?"

"No, not really. It's weird...maybe it's because I've already accepted that you're my partner and stuff, but it's like being told a really nice story. I don't feel super connected to it right now, but I'd still like to believe it's true."

"It _is_ true."

Weiss might have expected Ruby to smile at the response, but instead she bit her lip and allowed her eyes to briefly flit away before returning with an earnest expression.

"I think it might be more important for you to tell me this stuff than for me to hear it," Ruby admitted with a caring smile. "It would drive me crazy if I was the only one holding all these memories and had no one to share them with."

Unintentional genius. The way Ruby could deduce unspoken feelings was nearly in line with Yang's ability to read people. And she was right. Sharing and recreating the past was cathartic in a way Weiss could never have imagined. Walking through these memories again, not alone, but with company, made them feel less...isolated and painful. Even if Ruby didn't remember, the mere act of acknowledging the past lifted the heavy weight that had bogged down memories of this place.

Not only were they able to return to the stories of their past, but they'd also created new memories to take forward from here. And, regardless of how it sometimes felt, not all had been lost.

"Let's go home?" Ruby asked, meeting Weiss' eyes with silver that asked the same question.

Glancing at the clearing covered in petals, Weiss nodded and allowed Ruby to take her hand and lead them out of the forest. Back to Beacon...and then back to their life together.

There was no longer any question in her mind where 'home' was because, after spending months adrift in a sea of unknown, she'd finally made it back. She'd finally made it home.


	44. Chapter 44

**Good morning everyone! Happy V6 day! I'm still waiting for canon Bumblebee before catching up, but I'm not against spoilers or anything like that. Excited for the show to be back though!**

* * *

This morning, consciousness struck Ruby like lightning. Or like a snake. Whichever was faster and more jarring - most likely lightning because that was also _electrifying_.

Either way, _one_ of those things hit her over the head and popped her awake like she'd never been sleeping. Which...she was pretty sure she had been…but now that she was awake, she blinked at the morning sun creeping through the window.

Not _her_ window, but _their_ window.

It was still a little strange to wake up in a new room in a new house, but it wasn't as weird as she would've thought. On a scale of 'I don't remember eating the last piece of cake' to 'I don't remember having three arms,' it was probably closer to her short-term cake-eating memory.

Hearing a soft sigh from the bed beside her, Ruby rolled onto her side and smiled when she found that Weiss was still sleeping. So cute! And so peaceful. With each passing day, it looked like Weiss was sleeping more and more peacefully. Which _also_ meant she was sleeping deeper and was less likely to be accidentally woken up - like when a certain someone happened to place a quick kiss on her lips.

Leaning forward, Ruby held her breath, kissed Weiss, and then quickly moved out of the way. Still holding her breath, she watched Weiss gently stir in her sleep before growing still once more. Tickled pink ( _Weiss_ pink) that her little ploy worked once again, Ruby laid down on her right arm and watched Weiss sleep.

Yesterday was kind of hectic, so it made sense that Weiss was extra exhausted by the time they made it home. But yesterday was _awesome!_ Seeing Beacon through Weiss' eyes, with all the memories that had once been, was one of the best days Ruby ever had. Sure, she wished she could have those memories back, but it was good enough to hear them secondhand. Plus, they had a ton of fun reliving the moments while meeting a few new people to boot.

In summary of their awesome day: Beacon was awesome. And Weiss was awesome. What did Ruby ever do to deserve someone so cool as her partner?

If only there were something she could do for Weiss...something that said 'Thanks for being awesome and for taking me back to Beacon. Oh, and for being my partner and just all around fun to spend time with.'

That was probably too long to fit on top of a cake, but maybe there were other ways she could show her appreciation. Like making a balloon animal! What was Weiss' favorite animal? A...snowy fox? Zebra? Chimpanzee?

Or maybe Ruby could do something _bigger_ \- like skywriting! But it might be expensive to rent a plane...and dangerous to try to steal one…and even more dangerous to try to fly one...

When Weiss let out another soft sigh, Ruby grinned and decided that her appreciation should start small and manageable. She'd make breakfast! That was thoughtful, right? She watched Yang make breakfast for Blake all the time, and Blake was _always_ super grateful.

Carefully pushing the covers off of her, Ruby slipped out of bed and crept to the bedroom door. Getting a wave of goosebumps after leaving the warm bed behind, she turned and somewhat regretfully wished that she wasn't leaving Weiss behind. But it'd only be for a few minutes!

Plus, it wasn't like Ruby could make breakfast _in_ bed...except that was a real thing, right? She'd heard the term before, but always assumed it meant _eating_ breakfast while sitting in bed. But what if she was wrong? What if it meant _cooking_ breakfast while...but how would that even work? She'd look into it later...

Using the ninja training Blake had taught her, Ruby basically morphed through the bedroom door without opening it and sleuthed downstairs to the kitchen. She and Weiss went to the grocery store the other day, which had been almost illegally fun, and bought so much food they probably wouldn't be able to eat it all before it went bad.

Except that sounded like a challenge, and Ruby _never_ said no to a food-related challenge!

"Let's see…" she mumbled to herself while tapping her chin. "What would Weiss want for breakfast?"

The answer was almost too easy - a grapefruit! But...that involved essentially zero effort on Ruby's part. She could try to make french toast like Weiss had a few days ago! She didn't remember _at all_ how Weiss did it, but she could make something up. Or she could try to make Yang's famous pancakes! She also didn't know how to do that, but how hard could it be? Just throw some flour and water in a bowl, mix, and fry!

But that's not what _Weiss_ would want for breakfast, and the point of getting out of bed early was to do something nice for Weiss. So...Ruby would make the _best_ grapefruit ever eaten for breakfast!

 _Technically,_ a grapefruit tree made the grapefruit, but Ruby would _prepare_ it. If she could make a grapefruit on her own, she'd certainly try for Weiss' sake, but...she didn't have roots or anything...

Reaching towards the bowl sitting on the middle of the island, she picked up one of the light-orange fruits and tossed it in the air to check its weight. Yup, it was...heavy-ish and round. After turning on the faucet at the kitchen sink and washing her delicacy-in-the-making, she dried it off with a towel and looked for a cutting board.

Turning cluelessly from one cupboard to the next, she opened one at random and chuckled when she found a set of wooden cutting boards stored inside.

"Score one for Detective Rose," she muttered while pulling one of the boards out and setting it on top of the island. Placing the grapefruit in the center, she tapped her fingers on the counter before taking a step back.

"And plates…" she muttered before turning around and opening another cupboard - being immediately greeted by a stack of plates and bowls. "That's two in a row!" she cheered while taking one of the plates and setting it on the island.

"And if I were a knife, I'd be...here!" Pulling open a random drawer, she squealed in delight upon finding a set of knives resting inside. "Almost like I used to _live_ here," she said to herself before giggling.

Grabbing a knife that looked like it'd do the trick, she turned away from her task when motion caught her attention. Glancing up, she grinned when she found Weiss walking into the room - already dressed for the day and looking like an angel.

"Good morning!" Ruby called out, setting the knife on top of the cutting board. "I wanted to make you breakfast!"

Gesturing towards the grapefruit, Ruby was surprised when Weiss hardly spared it a second glance. Instead, she walked around the counter and pulled Ruby into a warm hug.

Ah, yes. Their good morning hug. Couldn't forget that, could they?

Squeezing Weiss tightly, Ruby took the liberty of taking a deep breath of whatever shampoo Weiss used before releasing and moving only slightly away.

"Good morning," Weiss said, popping up onto her tiptoes to give Ruby a quick kiss. "I...missed waking up with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I just - I wanted to do something nice for you -" Gesturing again to the island, Ruby's growing regret paused when Weiss smiled.

"I know. And that's very sweet of you. Please -" Weiss waved towards the cutting board before pulling out one of the stools and sitting down.

"Ok ok, I'm _almost_ done."

Picking up the grapefruit, Ruby furrowed her brow while sizing it up. Using the knife, she found the exact center and veryyyy carefully cut it so that both halves were _exactly_ the same size. Or at least, it'd be impossible to disprove her awesome cutting skills without some high tech wizardry such as a...ruler or something that measured things...

"Voila!" she exclaimed, setting both halves onto a plate and pushing it towards Weiss. "Breakfast is served. Who said I can't cook?"

While Weiss accepted the plate with a light laugh, Ruby opened another drawer at random and found a set of silverware resting inside. Picking out a spoon, she handed it over to Weiss.

"You know...you used to be able to spin the grapefruit on the cutting board and cut it in half while it was still spinning," Weiss remarked. When Ruby's jaw dropped open, Weiss quickly added, "I mean, not that you need to try -"

"What're you talking about? I _have_ to try that now!"

Taking another bite of her breakfast, Weiss shrugged her shoulders and pointed her spoon towards the stack of grapefruits sitting in the bowl on the island. With permission granted, Ruby grabbed another and set it on the middle of the cutting board. Using both hands, she lined up her fingers on opposite sides and spun the fruit as fast as she could - it flew right off the cutting board, off the island, and onto the floor.

Hearing Weiss' delighted laugh, Ruby's cheeks heated up in both embarrassment and happiness.

"Ok…" she mumbled while ducking around the counter to catch her runaway grapefruit. "Apparently it's harder than you'd think."

"I'm pretty sure you practiced when I wasn't around," Weiss commented, her eyes only _slightly_ amused by Ruby's epic failure. "But I'd prefer to watch you figure this out."

"Heh...well...maybe I'll try again tomorrow." Returning the grapefruit to its friends, Ruby pulled out a seat and sat next to Weiss. "Soooo how is it?"

Taking another bite, Weiss chewed and swallowed before saying, "It's fantastic. You might just become a full-fledged chef yet."

The joke made Ruby beam proudly. Sure, she couldn't make anything else without burning it, or burning the pan, or burning the house down, but she could cut a grapefruit in half dammit!

"But what are you having for breakfast?" Weiss asked after taking another bite.

"Oh, uh...I dunno. I was only thinking about you!"

Setting her spoon down, Weiss stood and headed over to the cupboards before pulling out a mixing bowl and set of measuring spoons.

"Well that won't do...you need to eat," she mumbled while moving purposefully around the kitchen. "How about more french toast?"

"That sounds _amazing!_ "

Ruby's response earned a satisfied nod from Weiss before she quickly went about making breakfast. And Ruby got to watch Weiss masterfully prepare an _actual_ breakfast - not just a piece of fruit cut in half.

Watching Weiss cook was really relaxing. Something about her assured motions put Ruby at ease. It was like, for whatever reason, knowing that Weiss knew exactly what she was doing was reassuring. Why would that be? Was food just _that_ important to Ruby?

But it was a remarkable transformation! There was no uncertainty. There was no hesitation. There was no second-guessing to be found anywhere in Weiss' expression right now. She was making french toast, and she knew exactly how to make french toast.

Ruby couldn't wait to see this version of Weiss in their practices. It was already peeking through - surely it would keep growing the closer _they_ grew to each other. Like two grapefruit trees that were planted incredibly close together or...two other things that grew closer over time. The only things that came to mind right now were different types of fruit trees...

"What would you like to do today?" Weiss asked while flipping several pieces of french toast out of the pan and into a neat stack on a plate.

"Uh...would you hate me if I said I want to train more?" Ruby asked, smiling when Weiss laughed and walked over to her.

"We had one day off, so I'd expect nothing less. You aren't tired or sore?"

Lifting her arms above her head, Ruby stretched them as high as they would go. There was a bit of tightness in her muscles, but it was nothing she couldn't work through.

"Not too bad. It feels like a normal day, actually!"

"This is a normal day?" Weiss asked while placing an open container of syrup by Ruby's plate and finally sitting down with her grapefruit once more.

"Yeah! You and me - totally normal."

Like anyone would believe _that_. Between their lives as huntsmen and their sporadic brain injuries, the two of them might be the least normal people in existence. Except for Weiss - Weiss was holding down the 'normal' fort all on her own. The normal, one-of-a-kind, most beautiful girl in the entire world fort.

Yeah, neither of them were normal, but Ruby didn't care! Drenching her wonderful breakfast in syrup, she stuck a huge forkful in her mouth and gave Weiss a thumbs up. How lucky was she that her partner/ kind of girlfriend/ex-was fiancée was a fantastic cook?

"Do you want to try The Horde again?" Weiss asked while cleaning out one half of her grapefruit and moving on to the other. Her eyes widening at the idea, Ruby quickly swallowed the bite in her mouth.

"Yes! We need to try again with our new strategy stuff!"

"My thoughts exactly. With our new 'strategy stuff.'"

From the way Weiss' eyes sparkled at the phrase, Ruby knew that she was being lightly teased. Was there a better term for all of the battle questions they went over last night and the night before? 'Stuff' was an all-encompassing word - that's why Ruby used it! Why think of better words when she could use 'stuff' instead?

"I really wanna try that one you showed me -" Using one finger, she traced a pattern in the air. "The diamond one."

"That would be a good start. It should give us more breathing room when the Grimm start showing up faster than we can clear them out."

Nodding and happily demolishing what had to be the best french toast in all of Remnant, Ruby drummed her fingers on the counter and then said, "Oh! But I need to go back to the house this morning to adjust Thorn."

"You do?" Weiss asked curiously. "What do you need to adjust?"

"Nothing much, but when we were fighting the other day I felt that the delay was a little off. Wanna fix that before we try again."

"I see…" When Weiss' brow creased in thought, Ruby waited for whatever that supercharged brain was going to come up with next.

"You _do_ have a workshop downstairs...maybe you can fix it here?"

The suggestion made Ruby's eyes widen in realization. "Oh! That's right!" she exclaimed when remembering that she _did_ have a huge, super high tech workshop right downstairs. "Let's check that out first."

Nodding, Weiss snuck several more pieces out of her grapefruit before tilting the half up and shrugging. When Ruby leaned over to see what was so interesting, she found that Weiss had finished the entire thing. Wait - was that interesting? Ruby could eat five of those for breakfast! Although, they were so sour...she probably didn't want to do that.

But she _did_ polish off her plate that was once piled with delectable french toast. The last piece she swirled around in the pool of syrup to collect as much as possible before sticking it in her mouth.

"Mm!" she said in delight before hopping out of her seat and taking her plate to the sink to wash it. After setting it in the rack to dry, she used a _tiny_ bit of her semblance to blast back to Weiss and place a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you for breakfast!"

"Thank _you_ for breakfast," Weiss repeated while standing. But before Weiss could pick up her plate, Ruby grabbed it and took it over to the sink herself. She then collected the rest of the dishes in one big stack that she could whiz through.

Symbol of appreciation number two - clean up so Weiss didn't have to!

"Wow. First breakfast, now the dishes - what's the occasion?" Weiss asked, walking over and reaching out for one of the plates. And she might have picked it up if Ruby hadn't swatted her hand away!

"Just wanted to do something nice for you!" Ruby replied, quickly washing everything then drying everything just as fast so Weiss wouldn't start helping. "As a 'thank you' for going to Beacon with me yesterday. And...everything, really."

For being awesome and showing Ruby so many new things - opening her eyes to the magical world of having more friends and someone to love in _that_ way.

"You don't have to thank me." Weiss' gaze was serious for only a moment before her eyes sparkled playfully - giving away her intent to tease even though her expression said otherwise. "But I'll accept it regardless - and the spoils that come with it."

"Like me doing the dishes?" Ruby asked while drying her hands and hanging the towel back in place. "I didn't do the dishes before or something?"

Weiss laughed at the question while pushing gently off of the counter and moving towards the entryway.

"Let's just say that speed and easily-breakable objects don't always go together," she commented, waving for Ruby to follow her. "Let's see if we can get Thorn fixed up."

"Yeah! And check out my new-old workshop!"

When Ruby caught up to Weiss, the two of them headed to the door leading down to the very best part of the house. Although...Ruby was really fond of their bedroom too - it was super cozy and extra comfortable to sleep in. And the kitchen was also amazing. They hadn't spent much time in the living room yet, but she couldn't wait to spend hours in there going through simulation videos and coming up with new names for their new moves. Plus, the backyard looked like an _awesome_ place to run around and practice with Weiss' glyphs.

Basically, the entire place was awesome. But the _basement_ …

Today, Weiss unlocked the door and the two of them made their way downstairs - neither of them using the railing even though Ruby still really wanted to try. But there was a fine line between trying something new and trying something new with a potential audience to embarrass herself in front of. After the great grapefruit snafu of this morning, the last thing she wanted to do was faceplant on the stairs with Weiss watching. Although...if it made Weiss laugh, it might be worth it.

It was incredible what Ruby was willing to do to make Weiss smile or laugh or just be happy in general. Embarrassing herself was just the tip of the iceberg!

"I can't believe I asked you out from the rooftop!" Ruby remarked while dropping down to the next step. Talk about embarrassing herself in front of an audience. From the rooftop too! Where everyone could see and hear!

"I can't believe you got _back_ up on the roof yesterday," Weiss replied from several steps ahead, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yeah...that was awesome…"

Sure, Ruby didn't know any of the people who saw her, but she didn't care who they were. She'd tell anyone and everyone how she felt about Weiss. Plus, it was super cute how embarrassed Weiss got...

When Weiss reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, Ruby was right on her heels - which meant she got to watch the lights of the combat room spring to life once again. It was still one of the coolest things ever, but this time instead of heading to the podium, she raced over to the lockers in the wall and reached into hers to retrieve Thorn.

"How ya doing, buddy?" she asked, holding the glove in one hand and looking him over. "We're gonna get you all checked out today!"

"Like going to see the doctor?" Weiss asked in amusement while walking towards the door to the workshop.

" _Exactly_ like that!" Racing over, Ruby grinned when Weiss held the door for her.

"After you, Dr. Rose."

Giggling at the name, Ruby walked through the doorway and immediately stopped while her eyes and ears and nose - while _all_ of her senses boggled at the room in front of her.

This workshop was incredible.

The lights automatically clicked on the moment she entered and filled the space in bright light - but the light seemed to be perfect from every location, with hardly any shadow spots. The machines placed strategically around the room were clean and shiny. There were drawers upon drawers, and cabinets upon cabinets - so many nooks and crannies that were probably bursting with cool trinkets Ruby couldn't wait to find. And the bench space - she took a few extra seconds to appreciate the workbenches lining _every_ available bit of wall space, and the two long workbenches occupying the center of the room.

It was probably one of the coolest places she'd ever seen - and it was _hers!_

Taking a deep breath of vaguely metallic air, she walked over to the workspaces in the center of the room, which seemed to be the best place to set Thorn down. A pile of random odds and ends already cluttered up the space, but she moved everything out of the way to make room for what she needed to do. Picking up a dagger that was mid-completion, she set it hastily aside when she realized that the small weapon must be what she'd been working on right before her injury.

Wasn't that weird? She left all this stuff out because she expected to come right back to it. But here she was - a year later with no idea what she'd been trying to accomplish. Because instead of coming right back, she'd...taken a rather long detour.

Weird was probably the best word for that.

"Ok, I need…" she muttered while searching around for tools. Her luck from the kitchen, unfortunately, didn't transfer over, and she opened several drawers before finding the proper screwdrivers to remove Thorn's housing. Now that she had the screwdrivers, she needed...

"Do you know if I had a chip reader or something?" she asked while lifting several pieces of old metal in search of one. She _had_ to have one somewhere. It was pretty standard to put a chip of some kind into any hyper-intelligent weapon, but the problem was that there were so many different ways to access that information...

"Do you mean this?"

When Weiss pointed to a small machine sitting on another counter, Ruby walked over and bent down to look at it closely.

"Uh…"

Whatever it was, it was fancy. She'd never seen anything like it before, but it _did_ look like it had a small compartment inside that would hold a processing chip. The only problem was it looked too big for the chip she wanted to put into it. Was it adjustable? Were there other attachments she needed to use?

Scouring every side of the machine, she read the labels on the buttons and struggled to figure out what their short abbreviations stood for. 'ON' probably meant 'on.' And 'ST' probably meant 'start'...or 'stop.' And 'LB' meant…

Up until this very second in her life, Ruby prided herself on being a weapon guru of sorts. She built Crescent Rose! And she was always able to fix Ember Celica! But she normally worked with pretty basic tools and machinery. She knew what the Dust Recirculator and Aura Generator machines did, but the rest of this stuff was...expensive.

"I...I don't know how to use this," she finally admitted. Turning to the side, she caught the brief moment of surprise in Weiss' eyes before a warm, reassuring smile appeared.

"That's alright," Weiss said softly, taking Ruby's hand and picking up Thorn in her other. "Why don't we go back to your house so you can fix Thorn? And later we can find the manuals for all of this. I know we stored them somewhere...and I'm pretty sure you made notes in them before we put them away."

"Really? That sounds great! I just don't wanna like...accidentally pulverize the processing chip or something, you know? I spent a lot of time getting it right!"

"I know," Weiss replied while pulling Ruby towards the stairs - leaving the _too_ high tech workshop behind for now. "This might be better anyway. I'm sure Yang misses you."

"Oh...you're probably right."

Besides the hunts Yang went on with Blake, the last time Yang and Ruby spent more than a few days apart was...a very long time ago. Ruby had been so busy with all the memory stuff that she hadn't really had time to think about it, but now that she did...she missed Yang too!

"But I can use all that stuff to figure out Nora's flamethrower!"

The comment actually made Weiss stop walking and turn towards Ruby in surprise.

"I'm sorry...Nora's what?"

"Flamethrower!" Ruby repeated with a big grin when remembering the conversation she had with Nora a few days ago. "She came over the other day and asked if I could build one into her weapon. And I think I can!"

Dumbstruck, Weiss stared at Ruby for a few seconds before letting out a laugh of disbelief.

"I think I speak for the rest of Team JNPR when asking you _not_ to do that," Weiss said with a shake of her head.

"Why not? Would she do something crazy with it?"

"Without a doubt."

When Weiss nodded emphatically, Ruby pursed her lips and thought about the crazy things that could be done with a flamethrower. Maybe the question was - what crazy things _couldn't_ be done with a flamethrower?

"Ok, maybe that's a bad idea," Ruby concluded, hurrying up the steps to catch up with Weiss. "But I'll think of something more useful and less crazy for her!"

"That's the spirit," Weiss replied while leading them towards the main floor of the house. "And now the entire forest won't go up in flames."

"Yeah…" Thinking through it some more, Ruby chuckled at the idea of Nora wielding all that power. "That'd probably be a bad thing!"

She'd promised Nora _something_ though, and she intended to deliver! Once they found the manuals, she could figure out what those machines did and then think of something awesome. Maybe some kind of rocket boost or additional Dust storage? Either of those things would be cool! Just not as...flashy and uncontrollably destructive.

As soon as they stepped into the entryway, Ruby raced over to get her shoes from where she left them yesterday. She'd already pulled the left one on when she noticed the amused look Weiss was giving her.

"What?"

"Nothing," Weiss replied (a lie!) while biting her lip to hide a smile. "But do you normally go out in your pajamas?"

Glancing down in surprise, Ruby groaned when she realized that she was, in fact, still in her pajamas.

"I'll be right back!"

She'd hardly earned a nod from Weiss before throwing off her left shoe and flashing up the stairs to their bedroom. Heading straight for the closet, she grabbed the first outfit she found that wasn't clearly Weiss'. Wasn't that cool though? They shared a closet! All of their clothes were in there together. All mixed up and mingled together. Together, together, together.

Flying into her new-old clothes, she then blitzed back downstairs and slid to a stop by Weiss - or slid to a stop _past_ Weiss. The floors were really clean and slippery.

"Ready!" she announced after hopping into her shoes and whizzing through the laces.

"Not that I would mind seeing you in your pajamas all day," Weiss commented while motioning towards the front door. "They're adorable."

Blushing at the compliment, Ruby followed Weiss outside so they could head back to Ruby's old house. Or current house. It was actually getting a little confusing.

"Maybe if we weren't leaving the house." Following Weiss into the car, Ruby quickly buckled herself in and tapped both of her palms against her knees as Weiss set them on their way. "This time I'm _really_ going to remember the directions!"

She failed last time because the taxi driver had distracted her by asking about Nevermores! He was the one who asked, right? Or had she brought the topic up?

Regardless, she was determined to memorize the way this time. First, they pulled out of the drive - that was easy. Then they took a right onto the next street, and went straight, then straight, then left -

"Can we go back to Beacon sometime?" she asked as soon as the question popped into her head.

When Weiss nodded, Ruby grinned and sat back in her seat. It was so much fun to walk through the campus and see the places they used to spend time together. Visiting their old room, meeting some new huntsmen-in-training, meeting one of the professors, re-creating their introduction and their first kiss - it was _all_ so awesome. And she knew that if they went back, she'd get even more stories and find even more reasons why she and Weiss were meant to be.

"Whenever you want to, we'll go back."

"Really? Then how 'bout like...well, when do you have to go back to work?"

"I should probably go in tomorrow and make sure everything is progressing as it should." Pursing her lips, Weiss sadly shook her head. "I doubt that it is..."

"How about I go with you and whip everyone into shape?" Ruby suggested, to which Weiss let out a startled laugh.

"You're going to whip them into shape? I'd love to watch that."

"Then I can come with you tomorrow?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yes!"

She was going to see Weiss at work! Did that mean Weiss would be bossy? Would she raise her voice and shout orders? Or would she still be just the sweetest person in existence? Ruby would bet Crescent Rose on the last one!

Except she would _never_ bet Crescent Rose on _anything. Ever._ And she didn't say that out loud, so it didn't count.

Turning her attention back out the window, she sat up in surprise when a familiar house rolled into view. They were home! Or, at Yang and Blake's place. Also Ruby's place, but it wasn't her place in quite the same - yeah, they were here!

As soon as the vehicle stopped, Ruby popped open the door and raced around to open Weiss' for her. When Weiss stepped out of the car, Ruby carefully closed the door behind her and then raced up the walkway to the front door. It was only when she'd already made it there that she realized she should've walked with Weiss.

"You don't mind that I run ahead, do you?" she asked when Weiss caught up to her. "Cuz I can try to walk a little slower. I'm just excited!"

"Not at all. It's actually quite...normal."

Grinning at the word that hardly ever applied to her, Ruby shuffled her feet before looking at the door and then back at Weiss. And then she finally realized that Weiss was waiting for _her_ to open the door.

"Oh!" she exclaimed before checking her pockets. She had her scroll and Thorn...and that was about it.

"So...I totally forgot the keys at home."

Hiding a smile, Weiss turned towards the driveway - where Yang's car currently sat - and then back to Ruby.

"I guess you'll have to knock."

Ugh. Knocking meant that she'd have to explain _why_ she needed to knock. And then she'd have to explain how she forgot her keys, and everything and everything back to the beginning of time.

Maybe this was the universe's way of teaching her not to forget things. Which was funny, because the universe also made her forget a _whole bunch_ of things.

"Or I could use Thorn and rip off the doorknob?" she proposed, holding up her left hand and wiggling her fingers. Not that that wouldn't be _totally cool_ or anything…

Smiling, Weiss shook her head but didn't _say_ no. So...it was up to Ruby what she wanted to do. Yang would think that ripping the doorknob off was cool too, but then they'd need a new one...

Making her decision and raising her hand, Ruby yelped and jumped off the porch when the door opened without her even touching it. Someone was laughing now - that would be Weiss - and Blake was looking a little _too_ amused while standing at the door.

"I thought you needed some help," Blake said innocently before gesturing both of them inside.

" _Help_ doesn't mean a _heart attack!_ "

Placing one hand over her heart, which was beating like crazy, Ruby followed Weiss inside and closed the door behind them. That had scared the bejesus out of her, yet somehow Weiss didn't seem at all surprised.

"Did you know that was going to happen?" Ruby asked while Weiss leaned against the arm of the sofa.

"It only happens about every time I come over here, so yes."

When Weiss smiled, Ruby shook her head and attempted to pout. Attempted, because it was pretty hard to pout when Weiss looked so happy and relaxed. And casual! Look at her, sitting on the edge of a piece of furniture! That's what Ruby would call _sitting_ on the edge. Naw, that was lame. Yang was much better at making jokes like that.

"If you were trying to test my heart strength," Ruby told Blake with a triumphant grin. "I think I passed!"

"Ruby!"

The next second a loud "Oof!" forced through Ruby's lungs as a set of steel bars wrapped around her and began crushing her rib cage into a much smaller rib cage.

Or, Yang ran into the room and hugged her.

"Hey - Yang -" she wheezed through her rapidly-depleting oxygen. "Missed you - too!"

When Yang finally dropped her, the first thing Ruby did was suck in a deep breath and take a step away for safety. Yang managed to reach out and tussle her hair in the process, but that was easily fixable. Not being able to breathe was _not_ easily fixable.

"I haven't seen you in like _forever!_ " Yang said with a big, happy grin that automatically made Ruby excited. "What've you guys been up to?"

"We went back to Beacon!" Ruby announced, bouncing on her heels while shooting a grin towards Weiss. "It was so much fun - we reenacted parts of the past!"

"Oh, we should do that," Yang said, sending Blake a wink. "Wanna recreate some memories with me?"

"Only the ones that won't get us escorted out," Blake replied with a roll of her eyes - which only made Yang laugh.

"With your ears, no one will catch us!"

"Yes, but what about your mouth?"

"What about my mouth?"

Listening to Yang and Blake banter, Ruby caught Weiss' eyes and they shared a smile. They hadn't been away for that long, but it was nice to be back together again - the four of them. Spending time alone with Weiss was awesome, but spending time as a team was pretty awesome too.

"So what'd you come back for? Did you finally get tired of Weiss?"

Turning back to Yang and catching the wink that was sent Weiss' way, Ruby shook her head.

"No way! We only came back so I could fix Thorn!"

" _Ouch_ \- what am I then? Chopped liver?"

" _And_ to spend time with the most awesome sister in the world, of course!" Ruby added, throwing on her 'duh Yang' face. "But that's so obvious I didn't think I had to say it!"

When the response made Yang beam, Ruby laughed and used her semblance to hop across the floor and crash into her sister for another hug - a less crushing one this time.

"Let's watch a movie tonight!" she offered, turning to Weiss and Blake and getting their nods of approval before turning back and reaching up to _lightly_ tussle Yang's hair. "It's Weiss' turn to choose!"

"Ok, ok, you've won me over again," Yang playfully grumbled, holding Ruby out at arm's length and nonchalantly fixing her hair. "But if Weiss is picking the movie, I'd better take a nap so I can stay awake for the entire thing."

"I _have_ wanted to watch this wonderful documentary on -"

"Nope!" When Yang raised both hands in the air, Weiss smirked. "I don't want you to ruin the _entire_ _movie_ , Weiss!" Yang joked with a light laugh. "But deal - movie night."

"That sounds like fun," Blake added before subtly sliding her hand into Yang's and tugging away. "But until then...why don't we give them some space to work on Thorn."

"Space?" Yang asked in disbelief while being led away. "They've spent the last two days together! How much space do they need?"

When Blake rolled her eyes, Yang stopped before entering the hall and turned back to Ruby. "Ok, obviously Blake has some extra special plans for me," Yang paused when Blake let out a scoff, but grinned and continued anyway. "But you - don't leave again without saying goodbye!"

"Got it!" Ruby answered, throwing in a salute.

Satisfied with that, Blake and Yang disappeared towards the backyard with Yang saying something about 'training' and 'ribbons.' Once they were gone, Ruby turned to Weiss and held up Thorn in one hand.

"Fixing time?"

"Fixing time," Weiss agreed, standing from her super casual seat on the edge of the sofa. After holding the door to the garage open for Weiss, Ruby let it fall shut and walked into her workshop/garage/extra stuff storage area.

The space greeted her with familiarity - like it was saying 'hello' after she'd been away for so long. 'So long' being like two days, but that was _so long_ when she'd worked in here every day for a super long time now! Funny how fast things changed, right?

Unlike her new house, or her old house, this was her space and she knew it like the back of her hand. She didn't have to guess what was in all of the drawers because she already knew. It was nice to know what was in her drawers, but at one point in time this place had felt just as foreign as her new workshop did. She found a lizard in one of the drawers when she first came out here! And spiders - there were a whole bunch of spiders.

But she cleaned out the cobwebs, begged Yang to let her keep the lizard, and reorganized everything else. It was a pretty good metaphor for her own life. Clean out the memories, beg Yang to let her do things she shouldn't do, then set herself back up again. If she was able to do it once before, she could do it again - and she would. In a hop, snap, and tumble, she'd be whizzing around the new place like she'd designed it herself!

"Do you know any documentaries on weapons?" she asked, finding a screwdriver and quickly removing the metal plate from Thorn before reaching inside to pull out the processing chip that needed to be adjusted. Carefully unclipping it from the housing, she found her extra special fixing tool and stuck the chip into it. It fit perfectly.

"Of course I do - wait." When Weiss abruptly paused, Ruby glanced up from the device and caught a searching expression. "Does this mean you haven't seen _How to Build a Sun_ yet?"

The title made Ruby's eyes widen - not in recognition, but in excitement.

"No! But it sounds awesome! What's it about?"

Delighted by the news, Weiss shook her head and smiled. "I'm not going to ruin it for you. Let's just say that you really enjoyed it the first...hundred or so times you watched it."

A hundred times? Ruby watched a movie about the sun a hundred times?

"It must be cool," she mused while imagining what the movie might be about - besides the sun, obviously. Would there be explosions? Dust demonstrations? Metallurgy? Aura fusions? "Is that your choice for tonight?"

"Absolutely." When Weiss nodded, another pleased grin broke out. "Yang will complain, but I have it on good authority that she's a fan of it too."

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Ruby guessed, "Blake told you?" before chuckling when Weiss nodded. "Ok, but before that - we fix Thorn and then try The Horde again!"

"Sounds like a good day."

"You mean sounds like a _great_ day," Ruby teased before returning her almost-full attention to the small device on the workbench. Hooking it up to her scroll, several beeps sounded while she fiddled with the settings - tightening the response times by fractions of a second before nodding in approval. Fitting everything back together, she pulled the glove onto her left hand and tried out the new and improved Thorn. Thorn 2.0!

"Is it fixed?" Weiss asked, watching Ruby open and close her hand.

"It should be better, but running through the simulations is really putting it to the test. I'm sure I'll need to make more adjustments eventually. But for now...I'm ready to try it out!"

Clenching her fist, Ruby grinned when the metal curled in turn.

"Oh! Brilliant idea!" Scrounging for a piece of paper and pencil, she jotted down the thought before it disappeared. "I can create a piece of removable plating that doubles as a house key. How cool would that be? Then I'd always have my key as long as I have Thorn!"

"And if you don't have Thorn _or_ your keys?"

"Then I'll have you!" Ruby quipped before setting both hands down on the workbench - the painted lines of thorns glowing from proximity to Weiss' equally-glowing ring. It was cool that they matched, right? Was it a partner-like thing to have matching things? Or like...a partner theme. Could they match outfits too?

"Oh!" she exclaimed when another thought popped into her head. "Can you take me back to the house sometime so I can get one of those old jackets from the closet?"

"It's as much your house as it is mine," Weiss answered earnestly. "You don't need my permission. I'll give you the codes and you can go over whenever you'd like."

"My very own house!" Ruby cheered. "Can I like, spend all afternoon there?"

Chuckling, Weiss nodded her head.

"Yes, you can."

"And all morning?" Ruby added.

"Absolutely."

"So _basically_ I can live there!" she concluded with a happy grin that Weiss very hesitantly returned.

"If you want to, yes."

"Would you live there too?"

The second the question came out, Weiss froze - and remained completely motionless while thinking long and hard for a response.

"If...you wanted me to…"

Ruby grinned at the answer. That sounded really great. If they lived in the same place, they could _literally_ train 24/7! They shouldn't actually do that - for health reasons - but it would be an option! Not only could they train basically nonstop, but they could spend all of their time together. Wake up, Weiss would be there. Eat lunch, Weiss would be there. Dinner, ditto. Go to sleep, ditto ditto!

It sounded like a dream come true.

"Then maybe we should do that!" Ruby added, but her smile faded when she saw the look of disbelief on Weiss' face. "What?"

"You...want to live together?"

"Yeah! Don't you think it'd be great?"

To Ruby, this seemed like an easy decision - because spending all their time _together_ would be amazing - but the expression Weiss responded with was pure shock.

"Do...you?"

"Uh, yeah?"

Ruby wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not. Was it a trick question? She already said she wanted to do it, but apparently Weiss needed some extra convincing.

"I love spending time with you, Weiss," she added, extra convincingly. "And what better way to spend more time with you than to live with you?"

The more she thought about it, the more she thought it would be _so awesome!_ They could eat pancakes every day, spaghetti every night, and train all the hours in between. Plus watch movies together that weren't dumb and scary. And read all those books on the shelves - again. And hang out in the big backyard looking up at the stars and moon.

And she didn't want them to have to be apart. This way they wouldn't have to be.

Blinking several times without saying a word, Weiss looked, for once, completely confused.

"You're serious?" she finally asked, sounding almost out of breath as she did so.

"Yes. Wait, do you not want to?"

"What? No, I absolutely -" Shutting her mouth, Weiss shook her head and gave Ruby an almost pleading expression. " _Of course_ I want to live with you. I just...didn't think that was an option right now…"

"I'm full of surprises," Ruby replied with a grin. "Don't you want to?"

"Yes, but -"

"Who cares if it's fast!" Ruby interrupted before Weiss even brought it up. "I don't. I mean, my semblance is speed, so I'm kinda used to things moving fast. But do you think we should wait?"

Weiss looked really befuddled right now, and it was _adorable_.

"No, of course not -"

"Then why don't we? If it's what we both want to do, then why wait?"

Flabbergasted. That's what Weiss was. Flabbergasted enough to make Ruby giggle.

She understood that it might be soon, but why not? They'd been spending every night together anyway and being around Weiss simply felt...right. If it felt right and Ruby loved it, why wouldn't they keep doing it? What was stopping them besides themselves?

"I'm completely serious," she added, holding Weiss' hands across the workbench and squeezing them so Weiss would know it was true. After staring down at their joined hands, Weiss looked up - and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Speeding around the workbench, Ruby hugged Weiss - who let out a small gasp for air in Ruby's ear.

"I've missed you so much…" Weiss whispered, the words causing Ruby to hug her closer.

"Well guess what? You're not going to miss me anymore because I'll always be around. Wanna guess for how long?" Ruby grinned when she heard a muffled laugh and Weiss pulled away, wiping her eyes with one hand and smiling.

"Eternity, perhaps?"

"Multiple eternities," Ruby answered, picking up the ring at the end of her necklace and holding it between them. "I know that might not be a thing, but we can make it happen!"

"Ruby Rose…" Lightly shaking her head, Weiss sighed. "You continue to make the impossible possible."

Grinning, Ruby wrapped Weiss in another hug and lifted her feet off the ground to spin her in a quick circle.

"That's what I gotta do to deserve you!" Ruby commented happily, butterflies of all different shapes and sizes fluttering through her chest.

They were going to live together. Her and Weiss. There'd be no more wondering when they'd be together again - every night they would see each other. And every morning. And most of the moments in between.

"Only one stipulation -" Weiss said, pulling away from the hug but leaving her hands on both of Ruby's arms. "You have to tell your sister."

Ruby burst out laughing at the request.

"Are you still scared of her?"

"I've never been scared of her," Weiss huffed (and lied). "But I think she'll take the news better coming from you."

"Yang's like a big teddy bear!" Ruby replied, dropping her arms to Weiss' sides to hold her comfortably close. "A big teddy bear with fireballs attached to her fists. Want me to tell her now?"

"Right now?" Weiss repeated, her eyes widening at the idea.

"Sure! Why not?"

"Because I'm still here."

"She'll be fine with it!"

"You weren't there the first time. Well, you were, but you don't remember -"

"Come on, it'll be fine! Here, we'll tell her together!"

When Ruby reached out for Weiss' hand, Weiss took it hesitantly.

"Maybe we can convince Blake to tell her for us…"

"It'll be quick! Band-aid approach - 'Hey Yang, I'm moving out!' and if she looks mad, we run!"

"Easy for you to say," Weiss replied, shifting her feet but not moving away. "We're not all blessed with your speed, you know."

"You don't think you could outrun Yang?"

"Of course I could," Weiss said with a scoff. "The only problem would be if she caught me by surprise."

"Which would _never_ happen because you're always so prepared!"

"Of course…" Weiss replied, although there was much less conviction in that response.

Leaning forward, Ruby surprised Weiss with a quick kiss - which was just about the best thing in the entire world. Was it possible for them to melt together? Because that's what it felt like - the two of them fusing together like two pieces of molten metal...

When Ruby finally pulled herself away and Weiss' eyes fluttered open, her cheeks were pleasantly flushed and there was a little smile on her lips.

"I can't believe it…" she whispered.

"Believe it!" Ruby countered with a big smile. "Cuz it's true!"

Two sharp knocks on the door to the garage drew their attention before it opened a second later.

"Hey guys!" Yang said cheerfully, strolling inside with Blake on her heels. "Blake and I are running to the store - you want anything special for later?"

"Speak of the devil…" Ruby heard Weiss mutter from behind her. The pleased smile Blake gave the two of them said that she'd heard everything they were just talking about, but had yet to tell Yang. Those dang good ears...

"Yes!" Ruby answered, quickly thinking of the best thing she could ask for. "We need more ice cream! Weiss? Do you want anything?"

"I'm alright, thank you."

"You sure?" Yang pressed. "Cuz you know we don't have any grapefruit. How will you ever eat breakfast?"

Instead of a snappy comeback, Weiss merely mumbled "A grapefruit would be nice" with her eyes darting to Yang before looking away.

Awwww - _this_ was nervous Weiss! So adorable!

Yang's eyes narrowed at Weiss - clearly sensing something was off - but eventually, she shrugged.

"'K, ice cream and grapefruit. Plus Blake's tuna. What a freaking weird grocery list." Chuckling to herself, Yang turned to walk back into the house, and Blake shot Ruby a look.

"Hey Yang!" Ruby quickly called out "We have something to tell you!"

Curious, Yang turned back and looked at both of them with a half smile still sitting on her lips.

"Yeah?"

"We do?" Weiss asked, her eyes wide. "Right now?"

"Sure, why not! Band-aid, remember?" When Ruby silently asked permission, Weiss granted it with a curt nod. When she tried to step away, however, Ruby stopped her by grabbing one of her hands.

And when Ruby turned back to Yang, she wasn't nervous. She was excited! She wanted to practice. She wanted to train. And more than either of those things, she really, really, _really_ wanted to spend every single second with Weiss.

"So…" Ruby began, trying to find the right words. "Weiss and I were talking...and we thought that maybe, you know, it might be kinda cool if I moved back into our old house. You know, like, together."

Ruby felt Weiss' palm get instantly clammy while they watched Yang's expression turn to one of shock.

"...what?"

"Isn't that great?" Blake commented, lightly nudging Yang's shoulder. "They're going to move in together - _back_ in together."

Yang stared at Blake for a long time, her mouth still hanging open in surprise.

"I...guess?" she asked before turning back to Ruby. "Are you sure?"

"Yup!" Ruby answered with a nod and grin. "Plus, then you and Blake can have the house to yourselves!"

"Yeah but we don't _need_ the house to ourselves, so don't feel like you've gotta leave -"

"I don't! But this is just...the next step, ya know?"

Yang looked at Ruby for a long time - like she was trying to read Ruby's thoughts - before finally turning to Weiss.

"Hey Weiss, can you give us a second?"

Weiss immediately nodded, dropped Ruby's hand, and stepped inside with Blake. A little too willingly! If she was worried about what Yang might do, maybe she shouldn't leave Ruby alone so easily. Where was the love?

Once the door closed, Yang turned back to Ruby with that big sister expression she'd perfected years and years ago. It was the one that taught Ruby how to ride a bike, how to tie her shoes, how to deal with bullies...all the things big sisters were supposed to do.

"You know that if you wanted to live here for the rest of your life, you could, right?" Yang asked without a drop of humor in her tone.

"I know, Yang."

"Just because you and Weiss _used_ to live together doesn't mean you _have_ to live together again," Yang added. "You don't have to rush anything."

"I know," Ruby answered, meeting Yang's eyes so she knew that Ruby was taking this seriously. "I don't feel like it's rushed though - I love spending time with her! I want to spend every day with her. Isn't that how you feel with Blake?"

The question flustered Yang.

"I, well, I mean, yes. Of course. But what if things don't work out? Sometimes these things don't work out."

"Do you think it won't work out?" Ruby asked curiously. Brow furrowing, Yang shook her head - but her concerned expression stayed in place.

"Will you be ok though?" she finally asked.

"I'll be fine! I think I've learned how to take care of myself - kinda," Ruby chuckled, but then looked at her sister closely. "Will _you_ be ok?"

"I think so," Yang whispered, her eyes a little misty. Seeing the sadness, Ruby immediately threw her arms around Yang's neck for a hug.

"I love you, Yang! You're the best sister anyone could ever ask for."

"I love you too, Ruby…" Yang replied, squeezing Ruby tightly before letting go and brushing a hand across her eyes. "Ok," she said with a sniff and smile. "Guess we'll have to celebrate then!"

When Ruby smiled, Yang nodded and took Ruby's hand. Leading them over to the door, she threw it open and pulled Ruby inside to join their teammates in the living room.

"Change of plans, Weiss!" Yang called out, drawing Weiss and Blake's eyes instantly. "We're _all_ moving in with you."

Her eyes widening in shock, Weiss looked at Ruby for confirmation while Yang kept talking.

"Yeah, Ruby decided she can't live without Blake and me - so we'll all live with you. Isn't that great?"

When Ruby quickly shook her head behind Yang's back, Weiss relaxed into a smile.

"Oh thank grimm," she breathed in relief before grinning at Yang. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Laughing at the joke, Yang dropped Ruby's hand and walked over to scoop Weiss up in a big hug.

"Congratulations, Weiss. You managed to steal my sister's heart again."

"Not stolen!" Ruby piped up. "Given willingly!"

While Yang refused to let Weiss down, Blake walked over to Ruby and smiled.

"Congratulations," she whispered, watching Ruby's eyes intently. "I hope this is what you wanted?"

Looking at Weiss, who was trying to look disgruntled while Yang teased her, Ruby turned back to Blake and grinned.

"Yeah, this feels right."

They were following the theme, after all. Together - now they always would be.

"So when are ya gonna move?" Yang asked, shooting Ruby a hopeful look while Weiss finally squirmed away. "Like next year?"

"Uh…" Unsure about that answer, Ruby and Weiss exchanged glances.

"We didn't really talk about that…" Weiss added.

"But soon?" Ruby asked, more to Weiss than Yang. Again, Weiss looked surprised but numbly nodded her head.

"Soon then, I guess."

"Then we'll have a party before you go!" Yang proclaimed.

"A party of four?" Blake asked.

"Sure! Only takes two to party." Yang winked and bumped Blake's elbow, who rolled her eyes.

"I like parties!" Ruby exclaimed. "Can we invite Nora?"

The three of them stared at her for a few moments before Yang started laughing.

"Guess we should invite the rest of JNPR too," Blake murmured. "They'll want to see you."

"Yeah! I wanna meet them! Oh, and can we have cake? Cookies? Ice cream? Ice cream cake?"

"Thank grimm Weiss is here...this is gonna cost a fortune," Yang teased while Weiss beamed at Ruby.

"You can get whatever you want."

"Do they make ice cream pies?"

"They will if Weiss pays them enough."

"A going away party then," Blake interrupted, getting them back on subject before Yang attempted to throw them off of it. "We'll have it the day before you're set to move - whenever you're ready."

"Totally ready! It's going to be so much fun!"

"It's not going to be _all_ fun and games," Weiss said, attempting a serious expression that failed due to her sparkling eyes. "If you want to be partners again, we need to train practically nonstop. We're both out of practice, and I don't want to be anything less than the best."

"Weiss is already cracking that whip!" Chuckling, Yang bumped Ruby's hip. "Watch out Ruby - she's gonna work you harder than you worked yourself."

"I don't mind," Ruby replied, sending a big grin Weiss' way. "I'll do everything you say!"

The grin fell right off Yang's face while Blake laughed.

"I'm sure that's not at all concerning for your older sister to hear," Blake replied, placing one reassuring hand on Yang's shoulder.

"But I will," Ruby repeated - feeling that warm feeling spread throughout her chest when Weiss smiled back at her.

"Oh, they totally want to kiss," Yang cut in, _completely_ ruining the moment.

"It appears that they do," Blake added with a smirk.

"Yanggg!" Ruby whined when Weiss turned away with a blush.

"What? You can do it. Go ahead!"

"But you're still here!"

"So? Are you shy or something? Embarrassed? Blake and I kiss in front of you all the time!"

"That's different! You're weird and have no shame!"

"That's true," Blake mumbled, slipping one hand into Yang's while Yang laughed.

"So you can make out in the back of an airship but not at home?"

"Yang!" Now Ruby's cheeks were reaching unfound levels of red. That had been just a _little_ embarrassing. Of course Yang brought it up again!

"Fine! We'll leave you two alone. I have more important things to do anyway - like a party to plan! But we're still on for a movie night, right?" Yang asked while Blake practically dragged her towards the front door.

When Weiss and Ruby nodded in unison, Yang smiled. "Cool. Ruby, I'm gonna get you the _biggest_ container of ice cream I can find. And I'll find the biggest grapefruit for you, Weiss!"

As her sister and Blake disappeared outside, Ruby pumped one fist in excitement. A huge carton of ice cream would be the cherry on top of this day!

Her attention was torn away from thoughts of dessert when Weiss gently took both of Ruby's hands in her own.

"Are you _absolutely_ positive you want to do this?" she asked, her light blue eyes requesting an answer.

"Are you trying to convince me out of it?" Ruby asked in return. Jeez, if she hadn't been sure before, she was getting more than enough chances to back out!

"No, of course not. But if you're not ready…"

"I'm ready," Ruby interrupted, squeezing Weiss' hands. "For this. I know I am. The other stuff maybe not, but this - yes."

It wasn't at all scary, and it didn't make her nervous. Most importantly, she was confident that it would work out. She and Weiss were supposed to be together. Like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, pancakes and ice cream.

"So...we're going to do it then?"

"Do what?" Ruby asked on instinct, blushing when Weiss blushed too.

"Move in together?"

"Yes! I want to!" Suddenly realizing that she was only taking her own feelings into account, Ruby added, "Would that make you happy?"

"Ruby...that would make me _more_ than happy."

This was officially the best day ever.

"Then let's do it! Move in together. It's great because I need lots of practice with my partner so we can be the most awesome huntresses in all of Remnant!"

"You're right. I need practice with my partner too," Weiss replied with a whimsical smile. "She's learned a few new tricks I need to catch up on."

Briefly catching sight of the clock in the kitchen, Ruby's eyes widened and she hopped towards the door.

"Which means we've gotta get going, Weiss! The Horde awaits us!"

Weiss' smile made Ruby beam with happiness as they collected their belongings from the entryway and walked - or ran, in Ruby's case - out into the sunlight.

She was ready to be a member of a team. To be someone's partner. But more than any of that, she was ready to start again. _Living_. Not just living to train, but living to enjoy the wonderful life she was given another chance at.

If these experiences with Weiss had taught her anything, it was that being a huntress wasn't about training and nothing else. It was about having someone to fight beside that could be trusted no matter what. It was about drawing out the best in herself and those around her - not only in battle, but in life. And, most importantly, it was about finding the moments that were worth protecting - because they were happening all around her, both big and small.

Did she wish that her injury had never happened? Of course! But since she couldn't change the past, she could find the best in the present. She'd learned so much about herself over the past year and, ultimately, discovered what she was capable of. Maybe it was cliché, but today she knew - without a shadow of a doubt - that for the people she loved...Yang, Blake, Weiss...she would give it all up again in a heartbeat.

Starting over wasn't a punishment. It was an opportunity to find out what she was truly made of.


	45. Chapter 45

Today was a very special day. Well, it was the day _before_ a very special day, so maybe it was only special by proxy.

No, today was special. Years from now, when Weiss looked back on this moment, she would remember today _and_ tomorrow as two of the defining moments in her and Ruby's burgeoning relationship.

Today marked the last full day that she and Ruby would live separately. Tomorrow, they were moving into their home together - _back_ in their home together. Movers would arrive at Winter's house in the morning to remove Weiss' sparse possessions. Another moving company had been hired to pick up the few items she'd left in Atlas - those would be flown to Vale and should arrive within the week.

Weiss had offered to coordinate movers for Ruby too, but was rebuffed at every turn. For whatever reason, Ruby wanted to pack and move everything herself. With Yang and Blake's help, of course.

Plausible reasons for this decision was that Ruby wanted to make sure everything was handled carefully, or she didn't want Weiss to pay for the expense. So, against her better judgment, Weiss caved to Ruby's wishes. Again.

But Weiss had several other matters to see to in the morning, like the delivery of an entire shipment of food to fully stock their kitchen. Once that arrived, they wouldn't need to trek to the grocery store for...several days, at the pace Ruby ate. Besides filling the shelves with all sorts of Ruby-approved delicacies, addresses needed to be updated, landscapers and cleaners needed to be rescheduled for future maintenance, and - to top it all off - Winter was in town.

This was the type of frenetic activity that would have overwhelmed Weiss not too long ago, but now she reveled in it. These were all good - no, great - matters to attend to. And besides the relatively big unknown of whether or not Ruby would be packed in time, everything was on schedule. Everything was moving smoothly. Everything was...perfect.

Had she ever thought that Ruby would ask to move back in together? No, absolutely not. That was one of the most unexpected yet incredible questions to ever pop out of Ruby's mouth - and that was quite the accomplishment considering some of the random topics Ruby's mind swung to at any given moment.

Even though it was random and even though it sprang out of the blue, was Weiss going to question Ruby's decision? No, absolutely not.

Although...that wasn't an entirely honest answer. She'd internally questioned the decision for several days, until she finally concluded that she should trust that Ruby was mature enough to make her own choices. It just felt so impossible that she chose Weiss...after all the mistakes she made...

"What're you staring off into space for?"

The question brought Weiss out of her thoughts while Yang bounded over and held up what looked like a piece of paper.

"I made you something!"

From Yang's smile, Weiss already knew this was going to be some sort of joke. Regardless, she accepted the item when Yang pressed into her hands and turned it around to look at it.

It was a party hat made out of a piece of plain, white paper - with 'I'm not fun' scrawled across the front.

"It's your party hat!" Yang explained. "Now everyone will know how much you enjoy being here!"

"Ha ha," Weiss replied, giving Yang an unamused look and putting on the hat regardless of what it said.

After laughing and tapping Weiss softly on the shoulder, Yang grabbed another box of lights and headed down the hall towards the backyard. She was hardly out of sight when Ruby appeared, flouncing into the living room and stopping in her tracks the moment she saw Weiss.

"Aww, that's not true!"

Hurrying over, Ruby gently plucked the hat from Weiss' head and looked at it with a frown. The next second, Weiss stood alone while several rose petals drifted towards her feet - and then Ruby reappeared just as quickly to put the hat back on her head.

"There. Much better," Ruby said with a grin, her trail of petals still floating towards the floor.

Being in Ruby's presence filled Weiss with contentment that nothing else in the world could offer. It was like being lifted to an entirely new realm of consciousness, where everything was brighter, crisper, clearer...where the world could still be harsh or unfair, but a beacon of light provided all the hope she could ever wish for.

"How's packing?" Weiss asked, motioning towards Ruby's bedroom.

"It's going! But...you probably shouldn't go in there anytime soon…" When Ruby gave a sheepish smile, Weiss shook her head in disbelief.

They already ran into this issue with the garage - just yesterday. When Weiss saw its state of complete disarray, she canceled their evening plans and they spent the entire night _neatly_ organizing, packing, and labeling boxes instead. Fortunately, Ruby thought it was cute, if not a little strange, how much Weiss' hyper-organized side took over. Although why having a tried-and-true method for packing a box in the most efficient way possible was 'cute' was beyond her...

However, seeing as how that side of her personality had already slipped out, it was probably best that Weiss _didn't_ see the inside of Ruby's room right now. At least, not if they wanted to take part in the party at hand. But she could imagine the current state of chaos...clothes strewn about, partially-packed boxes with little rhyme or reason...

"Are you excited to meet Team JNPR?" she asked instead of letting her mind to wander down that path.

"Yeah, I am! According to Nora, we're team BFFs - so they've gotta be cool! Plus, I could use some more friends!"

While Ruby beamed at the thought of making new friends, Weiss smiled and shook her head. It continued to amaze her how receptive Ruby was to everything going on around her - nothing seemed too big for her to handle.

It made Weiss wonder what might've happened if she was honest from the very beginning - if they spent the past year together instead of apart. What would their relationship look like? Would they have made it back to this point?

That didn't seem to matter very much anymore. What they had now was blossoming into something incredible. The 'what ifs' and 'what could have beens' played no role in Weiss' life today. There was only...this. The two of them spending time together and building a foundation that would grow for the rest of their lives.

"What about you though?" Ruby asked, reaching out and gently touching Weiss' hand. "Are you going to be ok?"

Weiss paused at the question, which was somehow the perfect one to ask at this moment.

Besides briefly bumping into Nora and Ren at The Beacon Invite, she hadn't seen Team JNPR since Ruby was in the hospital. And, as with her own teammates, she'd made no effort to communicate with them while she was away even though they sent her several messages of support. How would they receive her presence today?

Unable to hide her budding anxiety from Ruby, Weiss had already explained what was making her uncharacteristically nervous. Always an exceptional listener, Ruby accepted Weiss' nerves and then put everything into terms Weiss couldn't refute - 'It's like ignoring a Grimm in the forest. The longer you ignore it, the bigger it gets. Before you know it, it's so big you need an army to take it out!'

More succinctly - don't put off something that needed to be done.

"I'm ready to see them again," Weiss finally answered, and the words were true. Mentally, she was prepared to earn Team JNPR's friendship again, no matter what it took. If that meant she had to start at the beginning...well...starting over wasn't always such a bad thing.

"Good! I bet they'll be happy to see you. Plus, your sister's coming!" Ruby hopped with excitement at the words, but then her grin fell into a very thoughtful, almost calculating expression. "I've gotta make a _super_ good impression this time...I'm not just some random friend anymore! I've gotta be, ya know, awesome."

"You have _nothing_ to worry about," Weiss replied reassuringly. "Winter will love you."

Winter _already_ loved Ruby, but at some point Weiss had started speaking to Ruby in her frame of mind. Ruby only met Winter once before - at the dust factory under the auspices of friendship. _Ruby_ met Winter many, many times. There was a difference.

"As long as she doesn't hate me, that's good! Can't have my girlfriend's sister not liking me!"

Intentional or not, Ruby made Weiss' heart flutter with the term.

Maybe it wasn't what they once were, but it was leaps and bounds better than 'just friends.' Add in the fact that Ruby continued to wear the ring, knowing what it meant, and Weiss had hope that that path still lay before them. All they had to do was take it.

"Ruby! Can you help me with these lights?"

"Coming!" Ruby yelled towards the backyard. "Be right back!" she said, giving Weiss a quick kiss before racing down the hallway and disappearing from the house.

When Ruby requested her 'moving out-moving in' party to take place at night, no one questioned why. Yang simply looked up what time the moon would rise and set the starting time then. To combat the lack of sun, they bought strings of lights to hang along the fences and in the woods. It was supposed to be an intimate gathering anyway - a reintroduction of sorts to their friends from long ago.

With Ruby working on the set-up, Weiss removed the party hat from her head and turned it around to look at the front. Ruby had crossed out the word 'not' and written 'tons of' right above it.

The small gesture made Weiss smile. Before Ruby, before Beacon, before everything, no one thought she was 'fun' to spend time with...

"How are you doing?"

Looking over when Blake walked into the room carrying some empty boxes, Weiss sighed.

"Just waiting for the day I wake up from this dream."

The response made Blake chuckle while leaving the boxes on the counter; she then walked over to Weiss with a patient smile.

"There's nothing wrong with living in a dream. As long as you're happy."

Was Weiss happy? The answer was a resounding 'yes.' It wasn't simply having Ruby back in her life, either, but also her teammates, her sense of accomplishment and belonging. Bit-by-bit her confidence was being restored, but it would be foolish of her to believe that she accomplished any of this on her own.

"Thank you, Blake," she said, the words feeling comfortable and easy to express. "For everything."

There was no way to quantify Blake's help in terms that could be easily explained, but Weiss knew - without a single shred of doubt - that her indebtedness to her teammate had grown exponentially in a very short period of time. Who would've guessed when they first met that _this_ was the type of friendship they would have? One of utmost caring, respect, and love…

Of course, from Blake's simple smile, Weiss' gratitude could have remained unspoken.

"You know…" Blake replied softly, one of her ears flitting ever-so-slightly. "A long time ago someone pretty smart told me that if we ever have a problem, we go to our teammates first for help. No one else understands what we have and what we've been through together. I've never forgotten that. And I hope that the next time the road gets rocky, because it always does, you remember that too. We're here for you - no matter what."

With her heart filling with gratefulness, Weiss reached out and pulled Blake into a hug.

"I'll remember," Weiss said while Blake returned the embrace. "I promise I will."

As usual, Blake was right. Their lives were filled with endless uncertainty and unspeakable danger - who else could understand what they went through other than their teammates? Even if Weiss was incapable of discussing the pain of losing Ruby, she should've known that Yang and Blake would never expect her to talk until she was ready. She should have gone to them for help…and next time, if there ever was a next time, she would.

Releasing Blake and stepping away, Weiss wiped at one eye when she felt it growing misty with emotion. Then a small laugh bubbled through her chest.

"Look at you," she said in amusement. "Blake Belladonna, the one with all the emotional advice. When did this happen?"

Breaking into a smile, Blake playfully rolled her eyes.

"You won't believe how many therapy books I read after Ruby got hurt."

"Blakeeeee!"

The whine ended their moment, as they both turned to find Yang walking into the room with a pout on her face.

"I just realized I won't have anyone to fix Ember anymore!"

Walking over without a pause, Yang buried her face in the crook of Blake's neck. Not at all taken aback by the quasi-tantrum, Blake soothingly patted Yang's back.

"Tonight's a celebration, not a funeral," she commented.

"If I knew _this_ would happen, I never would've suggested Weiss tell!" Yang wailed.

"How could you not see this coming? Ruby's been smitten with her for quite some time now."

"Because I can't see the future like you can!"

"Then you can't see what we'll be doing when we have the house to ourselves?"

When Blake's words had their intended effect, Weiss rolled her eyes.

Instantly cutting the sob story and straightening up, Yang looked at Blake with wide eyes. They were doing that thing again - holding a conversation without actually speaking. After a few seconds though, Yang cleared her throat and turned to Weiss with a big grin.

"Maybe it won't be so bad if you look after Ruby for a bit," she added. "But if Ember needs fixing, I'm coming over to get her."

"That sounds fair," Weiss agreed with a nod. Although Yang broke her gauntlets fairly often…

Pursing her lips for a moment, Yang then nodded and smiled.

"Then that's settled! But now it's time to give you my big sister speech."

Rolling her eyes again, Weiss obediently followed Yang down the hall and into her bedroom. The instant they stepped inside, Weiss realized that she'd never actually been in the room before.

It was a cozy space. The closet was a Yang-certified mess exploding with clothes, but the rest of the room was definitely snuggle worthy. There were stacks of books on top of a desk that looked otherwise unused, and another stack on one of the nightstands. The light in the room wasn't exceptionally bright, which made sense with Blake's eyes, and the colors of the walls, curtains, and bedspread were muted pastels that blended well together.

"You let Blake decorate?"

"Didn't have a choice," Yang answered before putting on a serious face. "But this is important, Weiss."

It _looked_ serious from Yang's expression, but Weiss found it impossible to fight off a smile.

"You've given me this speech before," she pointed out. "Do we really need to do it again?"

"Yes! Because this time I'm cranking up the heat."

"Last time you threatened to disembowel me. How can you make it worse than that?"

"You're about to find out."

Shaking her head, Weiss motioned for Yang to continue. This ought to be interesting.

"Ok," Yang began, cracking the knuckles on her hand in what was a thoughtless-yet-still-unnerving action. "Ruby is one of the most important people in my life – she's _so_ important that I put her happiness above my own. I'm trusting her with you - I'm trusting that you'll take care of her and make her happy. But if you don't - if you screw up - this is the only warning you're gonna get, so I suggest you listen." Standing tall, Yang pointed one finger at Weiss's chest. "If you _ever_ make her cry or hurt her in _any_ way, I swear on everything I'm capable of – it will be the last thing you ever do."

Yang was a _little_ frightening when Ruby was involved, but there was a layer of love just underneath the surface that assured Weiss of how close they were.

"Because you'll disembowel me?" Weiss offered when there didn't seem to be a more specific threat forthcoming.

"Smartass," Yang said, breaking character with a grin. "But yes! It'll be very painful for you, and I won't like it either because it'll be messy, so just don't do it."

Joking aside, Weiss maintained a straight face and nodded resolutely. She knew how important Ruby was to Yang - that was one of the reasons she'd prided herself on being the right one for Ruby. Because not only was she able to make Ruby happy - she was also able to keep Ruby's ultra-protective sister at bay.

"Yang…" Weiss began. "Ruby is the most important person in my life. I'll do anything for her. I know I've made mistakes, but I _am_ capable of learning from them. I won't leave her again. I won't leave any of you."

It was the truest sentiment Weiss could express to Yang, who smiled and reached out to squeeze her shoulder in acceptance.

"Good. And, as your friend, I just want to say how happy I am for you two. Honestly, I never thought this would happen again. Blake seemed to know it all along, but I had serious doubts. I've never been happier that she's always right."

"Thank you, Yang, for doubting me," Weiss joked, smiling when Yang burst out laughing. "But seriously, thank you."

Grinning, Yang pulled Weiss in for a hug and lifted her feet right off the ground - something she'd noticed Ruby enjoyed doing as well. Why did both of them enjoy picking her up so much?

"And this is great cuz when you're all set up to get married again, I still have my best sister speech planned!"

"Do you honestly remember it?" Taking a step away, Weiss gave Yang a dubious look.

"Of course! How could I forget?" Yang opened her mouth like she was about to launch right into it, but no words appeared. "Uh...something about Pyrrha and Jaune."

"For a speech about Ruby and me, you're going to talk about Pyrrha and Jaune? I hope you're not comparing our fighting abilities..."

Looking confused while trying to remember the speech, Yang finally gave up and shook her head.

"Well, whatever. I'll come up with something else - something even better!"

"I can't wait," Weiss said, patting Yang's elbow as they headed towards the bedroom door.

Ruby and her were still a long way from that point, but it was nice to know that they would have Yang's support whenever they got there. Weiss didn't want to be presumptuous, but…she felt fairly confident in saying 'when' not 'if.'

As Yang reached for the doorknob, the door opened on its own and Blake poked her head inside.

"JNPR's here - if you want to get ready," she said, sending a meaningful glance to Weiss before walking back into the living room. Even with the warning, there wasn't much time for Weiss to mentally prepare herself. Especially not when Yang motioned her out of the room and Blake went directly to the front door to open it for their friends.

"Blake!" Nora's excited voice immediately said, followed by several much more mellow greetings. As soon as Blake stepped out of the doorway, Weiss' feet stuck themselves to the floor of the living room and refused to move - uncertain of what would happen next.

Pyrrha saw Weiss first, and she smiled - that same smile of acceptance she'd always had. Squealing in delight, Nora raced over and squeezed Weiss in a hug that was way too tight - like it had always been.

"Weisssss! We've missed you!" Nora exclaimed before setting her down and hopping towards the back door. "Come on, Ren! We've gotta find Ruby!" Nora added, waving Ren after her and disappearing down the hall with a stampede of heavy footsteps. As Ren passed Weiss, he gave her a nod of acknowledgment and a tiny smile.

"It's good to see you again," he said before following his partner outside.

"I'm gonna go get Ruby," Yang added before leaving Weiss' side to head after Ren and Nora. "I'll be right back!" she called out with a wave as Pyrrha and Jaune walked over to Weiss, neither of them seeming to notice Blake slip right behind them to follow Yang.

"Long time no see," Jaune said before giving Weiss a quick hug.

"It's great to see you," Pyrrha added immediately after, giving Weiss a longer hug before holding onto her shoulders and smiling warmly. "Finally back where you belong."

One of the promises Weiss made to herself this morning was that she wouldn't get too emotional, yet her eyes already stung with unshed tears. After all this time...after all she'd done...she'd expected there to be _something_ that signified her absence. Instead…they only seemed happy to see her.

"It's wonderful to see you too," she replied, clearing her throat in an attempt to push away some of the growing emotion. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Careful!" Weiss heard Yang yell before Ruby and Nora tumbled through the hallway with Ren and Yang on their heels. Weiss didn't know exactly what they'd been doing, but from the cookie crumbs Ruby wiped from the corner of her mouth, it wasn't party preparation.

"Oh." Upon seeing their other guests, Ruby immediately straightened up and gave a little wave. "Hi!"

"Ruby!" Nora yelled, careening to a stop in front of her teammates. "These are the two I told you about! Uh...shoot. What were their names again?"

"Pyrhana and Jasper?" Ruby offered.

"Pyrhana and Jasper!" Nora repeated gleefully. "This is Pyrhana and Jasper. Pyrrha, show her your teeth!"

"Nora," Pyrrha replied in a scolding tone while Ruby grinned.

"I'm _guessing_ those aren't your real names."

Pyrrha shook her head at Nora before turning to Ruby with a genuine smile.

"Pyrrha Nikos. It's so good to see you, Ruby."

Taking a step forward as if she was going to hug Ruby, Pyrrha suddenly stopped and looked hesitant about that decision. Fortunately, Ruby had no problem giving hugs to anyone, and she threw her arms around Pyrrha's neck for a greeting that Pyrrha gladly returned.

"Oh!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed after letting go, her eyes widening in recognition. "From the cereal box!"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, that was a part of my past..."

After beaming at Pyrrha for another second, Ruby then turned her attention to Jaune - as did everyone else, expecting him to introduce himself properly. Noticing their glances, he shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his hair.

"I kinda like Jasper," he joked with an easy grin. "Jasper Arc - sounds more heroic, right?" When Pyrrha laughed and leaned into his side, he added, "Or Jaune, if you want to go with the original version."

"Pyrrha and Jaune. Nora and Ren," Ruby said out loud, as if trying the names out for familiarity. "It's nice to meet you! Or it's nice to meet you again."

Ruby's words were so genuine that all of JNPR smiled happily. And, just like that, any reticence they had over Ruby's injury disappeared. Just like Weiss had learned over the course of their time together, Ruby was still the same - she was different, yet still the same.

"So you don't remember like, anything, right?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Nope!"

"Oh thank god," he said with a relieved grin. "Then you don't remember how helpless I was when we first met."

"I'm sure she can imagine," Yang teased, walking by with what looked suspiciously like a beach towel thrown over a giant piñata. The playful jab made Jaune grin sheepishly while Pyrrha laughed.

"I was pretty bad myself not too long ago!" Ruby said, the reality of those words not dampening her mood one bit.

"You were still probably better than me."

Sensing that this could quickly become another one of their competitions to see who was the most modest, Pyrrha laid one hand on Jaune's arm and interrupted.

"Nora told us about The Invite."

"And showed us the video about a thousand times," Jaune piped in.

"It looks like you're back to full strength," Pyrrha finished seamlessly. "Will you be heading out on more hunts now?"

"I think so! Life's been pretty crazy, but we'll ease into it." When Ruby glanced over, Weiss nodded.

The idea of being a full-time huntress again made her hesitant, but Ruby seemed willing to move as slowly as Weiss needed. Seeing as how Ruby spent the last year completely and nearly single-mindedly dedicated to becoming a huntress again, it was an incredible display of self-sacrifice on her part. It was hardly surprising though - that's just the type of person Ruby was. Of course, with the type of person _Weiss_ was, she was going to train obsessively so that Ruby wouldn't have to wait much longer.

"We'll need to have some team practices first," Weiss added, with Ruby beaming at the mere phrase. She'd been buzzing at the idea of having team practices in the combat room. 'We're gonna fight everything!' she gleefully claimed more than once. Yang and Blake had yet to come over, but Weiss had a sneaky suspicion Ruby would fall in love with some of their team formations and executions.

After some time working together as a team, they would be prepared to head back into the forest. Considering how quickly Ruby had progressed in just the last few weeks, their teamwork would probably grow by leaps and bounds. In no time, they'd be back.

"Come on - party's out back," Yang called out once she reappeared, waving for everyone to follow her. "Pretty sure we're holding all of Vale's sugar hostage."

Making their way through the small hallway, Weiss was genuinely surprised when she saw how the yard had transformed in the past couple of hours. Under the fading sunlight, the strings of lights sparkled along the fences, the first row of trees in the woods, and the roof of the house - basking the yard in a warm glow. Her suspicions about the piñata were correct - shaped like a Boarbatusk, it was now strung to a nearby tree. Stretched above it was a colorful banner that read 'Congrats Ruby!' with hand-drawn hearts everywhere.

Weiss had spent her childhood attending some of the most pompous and luxurious gatherings around Remnant, but this...this was perfect.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the sugar," Jaune commented when he saw the table that was practically buckling under the weight of desserts. Tapping Ren's shoulder, the two of them walked over to help themselves.

"What have you two been up to?" Pyrrha asked after her gaze drifted from Jaune back to Ruby and Weiss.

"Training a lot!" Ruby answered with a grin before nudging Weiss. "Weiss and I are tryin' to kill a thousand Beowolves in one go!"

Weiss' cheeks flushed at the response, although doing so was probably more of a giveaway than Ruby's words were.

"A thousand?" Pyrrha repeated with a nod of respect. "That's quite a goal - how close have you gotten?"

"Eight hundred and fifty!" Ruby replied proudly. "I know we can get further, but we had a bit of a...miscommunication…"

"That will happen a lot in the beginning. Stick with it, and eventually everything will flow without those hiccups."

Weiss nodded at Pyrrha's words of encouragement. Currently, she and Ruby weren't on the same page. She often found herself falling back on training they'd perfected at Beacon, only to remember too late that Ruby wouldn't know the intricacies of those strategies. And then Thorn was thrown into the mix...and Thorn made an incredible change to Ruby's fighting style, as did her greater propensity to engage in close quarter combat thanks to Yang's influence.

It was a challenge, but Weiss was confident they would emerge from this better than before - and with some new moves added to their repertoire. It would take time, patience, and plenty of hard work, but both of them were ready and willing to put in the necessary effort.

Before Weiss could respond to Pyrrha, however, her attention was drawn to the side - where Nora was hopping in excitement, already bored with the conversation.

"Let's race! Ruby, race me! Will you? Please?"

"Really? You want to race? Sure!"

As expected, Ruby's response was nearly as excited as Nora's was.

"Thank grimm someone else wants to race her..." Weiss heard Blake mutter from beside her as the two girls took off for the woods.

"Be careful - it's dark!" Pyrrha called out after them.

It was hard to tell if they heard the warning because they were already gone. Shaking her head in amusement, Blake went to check on Yang while Jaune and Ren returned. Both of Jaune's hands were filled with cookies and he offered one to Pyrrha, but she shook her head.

"Yang said you're moving back in together," he said before taking a bite out of a chocolate chip cookie. "That's cool."

"We are. Tomorrow actually."

Pyrrha gave Weiss a knowing smile. "That's great for you. Both of you."

"Nora's really looking forward to joint hunts," Jaune added. "Whenever you're ready. No rush or anything."

Weiss nodded in acknowledgment of the gentle invitation. They weren't ready now, but were preparing for that future. Surprisingly, she was looking forward to that day. Ruby would likely lose her mind at the thought of a two-team hunt...

"We'll be ready soon," she elaborated. "Just need a little more time."

When a loud crash sounded from the woods, the four of them flinched in unison. Looking that direction, Weiss could barely make out the tops of the trees swaying unnaturally under the moonlight while a loud groaning noise filled their ears. It was only after a resounding thump shook the ground under their feet that Ren shook his head.

"I'll get her," he muttered, walking into the woods to find his partner.

"I don't know why she thinks she can see in the dark…" Pyrrha commented while Jaune also shook his head. Weiss couldn't help but chuckle at their continued plight dealing with Nora's antics.

It was good to see that some things never changed.

"Weiss," Blake said, stepping off the back porch with a pitcher of water in her hands. "Your sister's here."

"Thank you," Weiss replied before turning back to Pyrrha and Jaune. "Could you ask Ruby to come find me when she gets back?"

"Of course."

Nodding, Weiss headed into the house and found her sister waiting patiently in the living room. If there was anyone who could manage to look ill-suited for a relaxed, welcoming environment, it was Winter Schnee. But, for as out of place as Winter might look, Weiss was tremendously happy to see her.

"Winter."

Blue eyes locked onto Weiss when she stepped into the living room, and a smile grew on Winter's lips.

"Weiss," Winter replied, quickly walking over. After a brief hesitation, Winter reached out and pulled Weiss into an unexpected hug - one that she quickly returned. It was short, but when Winter pulled away she rested both of her hands on Weiss' shoulders and looked her up and down.

"Look at you. How long has it been since I've seen you this...happy?"

The answer to that question might be the same amount of time as it had been since they'd last hugged.

"I could say the same to you," Weiss responded with a smile, noting the cheerful gleam in her sister's eyes. "I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"There's no way I would miss it." Standing tall, Winter placed both hands behind her back in a display of excellent posture. "Now where's that bucket of petals I get to call my sister-in-law?"

"Winter," Weiss replied, her tone slightly scolding. "We're nowhere near that stage yet."

"Oh, I know," Winter said, casually waving a hand through the air. "You'll get there though. I have faith you can win her over again."

The nonchalant comment made Weiss blush.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted into the house before appearing at Weiss' side, rose petals blowing past her and gently knocking into Winter. Ruby's eyes immediately widened in surprise - clearing not expecting Winter to be standing right here. "Oh, hello! It's, uh, nice to see you again. Thanks for coming!"

Weiss grinned at the stammered words. Polite Ruby was so adorable…

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to out-polite a Schnee.

"It's lovely to see you again, Ruby," Winter replied with a slight bow of her head. "I appreciate the invitation to share in this celebration with you."

"Err...uh, well, you're welcome! Do you - or could I offer you...uh...a beverage?" The glance Ruby shot Weiss pleaded for help, so she reached over and took Ruby's hand.

"She's a _somewhat_ normal person," Weiss whispered. "Just be yourself."

"I'm alright, Ruby. Thank you for asking," Winter answered, appearing rather amused by Ruby's unusual stiffness. "How are you though? May I take a look at this?" Reaching one hand towards Ruby's arm as a request, Ruby obediently lifted it so Winter could see the scar. "It healed nicely," Winter mused to herself. "Do you have any lingering effects?"

"Uh...just lack of hand strength."

That reply made Winter hold Ruby's hand like they were going to shake hands.

"Squeeze as hard as you can," Winter ordered firmly. Confused, Ruby looked at Weiss, who nodded. So Ruby did as requested.

"Not bad," Winter remarked with a smile after Ruby squeezed her hand and let go. "That's better than we initially feared."

"Really? Did you think I'd need a robot hand like Yang?"

"Oh, yes," Winter answered with a teasing grin. "We already had engineers trying to fit a rocket launcher into it, but then the doctors were able to work some magic."

"Rockets?" Ruby said, her words coming out as a slight whine. "Aw man...that would've been cool."

The banter had helped Ruby return to her usual self, while Winter became someone entirely different. Whether it was Ruby's younger age, her unflinchingly-cheerful disposition, or something in her genetic code, Ruby brought out a less rigid side of Weiss' sister. From an outside perspective, it was remarkable to see Winter Schnee lower those walls and break that ironclad posture. Then again…the same could potentially be said of Weiss whenever Ruby was around.

"I brought a present for you, little rose," Winter said then, using her own nickname for Ruby while holding out a small wrapped box that fit in the palm of her hand.

"A present? For me?"

"Unless you can find another Ruby Rose around here?"

Giggling, Ruby took the gift and tore off the silver wrapping paper to reveal...well, Weiss wasn't exactly sure what the small black box was, but from Ruby's enthusiastic gasp it was something incredible.

"Holy _grimm!_ Is this what I think it is? But these haven't even been released yet!"

Winter stood tall and tried not to grin, but clearly she was overly pleased with the success of her gift.

"Weiss! Do you know what this is?" Ruby asked, holding it up so Weiss could see. "Do you know what I can do with this?"

"It doesn't explode, does it?" she replied, shooting Winter a pointed look.

"No! I mean, it _could_ , but that'd suck. It's a Dust stabilizer! This'll make it so much easier to put new Dust ports in weapons - not to mention safer." Rolling the box around in her hands, Ruby chuckled to herself. "Right now I just kinda use some tape and plastic piping to...uh…" Noticing the growing amount of alarm in Weiss' expression, Ruby trailed off.

"But this is awesome!" she concluded before racing over and throwing her arms around Winter for an unanticipated hug. "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome," Winter replied, lightly patting Ruby's back before she pulled away. "I'm sure you'll put it to good use."

"You bet I will! Oh, I gotta show Yang! Are you coming out back?"

"Right behind you," Weiss answered for the two of them. A second later, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals while Weiss and Winter followed at a more leisurely pace.

"You spoil her," Weiss commented while they walked down the hallway.

"Like you don't?" Winter replied in disbelief. "And I'm guessing that's her engagement ring hanging around her neck. So much for 'not being there yet.'"

Flushing at Winter's astute observation, Weiss stepped onto the back porch and immediately found Ruby across the yard showing Yang the little box. Yang was nodding along, but Weiss had to wonder how much of Ruby's rapid explanation was actually being understood.

"Winter!" Yang exclaimed upon seeing them, the look of relief on her face telling Weiss that they knew the same amount about Winter's gift. "It's good to see you!"

While Yang strode over to give Winter a big hug, Nora captured Ruby's attention by tapping on her shoulder.

"Tell us about the Nevermores! I wanted that hunt, but you guys snatched it up before _slowpoke_ Jaune could make a decision."

"I was standing right outside! You could've gotten me!"

"Shh! Jaune, Ruby's talking!"

Giggling, Ruby stood by the table of desserts and prepared to launch into the story.

"It all started at sunrise…" she began in a theatrical voice, slowly waving one hand in front of her. "Location - Vale. Destination - just outside of Vale."

"This'll be good," Blake commented before walking over to sit on the grass next to Nora. Yang beamed before bouncing over to sit beside Blake, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and tugging her close.

In just three sentences, Ruby had captured everyone's attention and stolen the show. Just as it was supposed to be - this was her party, after all. It was easy to see how excited she was by her wide, sweeping hand gestures and ever-present grin. She was enjoying herself, and that knowledge caused happiness to spread through Weiss' chest.

Everyone else seemed to be having a good time too, but who wasn't having a good time when there was a story involved? Yang and Ruby happened to be fantastic storytellers - Yang more prone to spinning wild tales while Ruby dramatized real-life events. Regardless, watching Ruby tell the grand story of their Nevermore adventure was entertaining, especially with her acting out the actions in slow motion.

"And there it was! The nest!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing over everyone's heads into the fictional distance. Nora actually turned around to see what Ruby was pointing at. Ren did too, but Weiss wouldn't hold that against him.

"The Nevermores flew in slow circles like -" Spreading her arms like wings, Ruby began slowly looping around her enraptured and chuckling viewers. Flapping her wings, Ruby let out a caw that was more absolutely adorable than anything else.

Standing off to the side and watching the scene unfold from a distance, Weiss didn't need to look over to know that her sister was right beside her.

"They look happy, don't they?" she whispered, smiling when Ruby pretended to hop into the nest and poke her head out. The story had quickly devolved into Ruby pretending to be a Nevermore, but that was just fine with Weiss and everyone else in attendance.

"You all do."

After what they went through, it seemed impossible that they could be this happy...but maybe they were more resilient than they ever knew. No one was exempt from the trials of life, but together they overcame. They learned, they healed, they grew. They lived.

"Have you ever wondered what would've happened if you'd never become a huntress?" Weiss asked, her eyes trained Ruby while she acted like she was stumped by a difficult question. "What if you never learned how to fight, never felt the pain of injury, or the heartbreak of seeing your friends fall to enemies?"

When Winter remained silent, Weiss continued.

"After everything we've gone through...do you ever look back and wonder...what if you never chose this path? Think of all the pain you would have saved yourself..."

Weiss' voice trailed off when Ruby turned towards them, smiled, and waved before continuing her story. Their story.

"But then you realize…that even if you knew in advance how painful it would be, you'd go back and make the same decision in a heartbeat."

When Winter's hand landed softly on her shoulder, Weiss finally looked up at her sister.

"Isn't that what love is?" Winter asked, smiling down at her.

Love. Is that what this all boiled down to? Not only loving one another, but loving life in all its complexity. Taken in context of the last year, a single year amongst many, it was easy to feel just how small and...fragile...they were. But the closer they grew to one another, the stronger their bonds became. Even if they were broken, they would not break - because of the love they shared. It made them stronger than they would ever be on their own...an invisible source of power connecting each and every one of them.

"I think we should be more open with each other," Weiss suddenly said, having just re-learned the value of openness and honesty herself. "Like you should tell me about your life. Not just work, but your goals and...have you been seeing anyone?"

Winter's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.

"What?" she asked with a nervous laugh. "What makes you ask something like that?"

Shrugging, Weiss turned back to Ruby and smiled. "Just curious…"

After several seconds, Winter squeezed Weiss' shoulder and said, "Sometime we can sit down and talk."

Left unsaid was how uncomfortable it would be for them both, but that was part of the process. Honesty and openness...neither were synonymous with being a Schnee.

"I'd like that," Weiss replied. After growing closer to her teammates, she wanted to remove this polite distance that had always separated her from her sister. There was strength to be found in a support system...and she wanted to make sure that, should the situation ever call for it, she could be there for Winter to lean on too.

"She's changed you again, hasn't she," Winter commented with a soft laugh.

"For the better, I hope?"

"She's always been good for you. They've all been."

For once, Weiss knew exactly what Winter was referring to - comradery, unconditional love, friendship. She was never a Schnee to her teammates. She was just...Weiss. And she liked being Weiss, even if that meant she was prone to mistakes, weaknesses, and failings like any other person.

As Ruby's story continued, she pulled Blake and Yang to their feet and positioned them exactly how they'd stood at the edge of the woods. Yang smacked her hands together again, and Blake pretended to draw her imaginary weapon.

Weiss owed her life to those three girls...in more ways than one. But if she was expressing gratitude today, there was one more person who deserved to hear it.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, looking back to Winter - who was confused by the words.

"For what?"

"For being there for me. Even when I didn't want you to be."

For a moment, Winter looked like she didn't know how to respond to that sentiment. It wasn't often they expressed such pure gratefulness, after all. But eventually, she smiled.

"That's what family is for, Weiss."

After smiling up at her sister, Weiss turned back to her teammates and friends - watching Ruby kneel on the ground while lining up her fake sniper rifle with the Nevermore nest. And then she said something she once thought she'd never be able to say.

"I'm lucky to have a great one."

The crack of a rifle broke through the air - a surprisingly-realistic sound that Ruby just mimicked herself. Next, she jumped to her feet and waved both hands eagerly.

"Weiss! Weiss! Come here! The Nevermores are on their way! I need you to glyph us up!"

Smiling and stepping away from Winter's side, Weiss joined Ruby and her teammates near the table of desserts.

"I'm telling them about the Nevermore hunt! Yang first, remember? Just send her up in the air - she'll figure it out."

Nodding at the instructions, Weiss felt a small amount of adrenaline appear when Ruby pointed towards the sky.

"Ok, they just crossed the far trees," Ruby narrated for their audience. "Man, look at 'em - there's so many. They swoop in low, putting their giant claws out. They're halfway - then Weiss explodes a block of ice in their path!"

Looking at Weiss, Ruby nodded towards the sky. Knowing that she didn't _actually_ want Weiss to recreate that moment, she instead waved her hand like she was casting some sort of spell. It made her feel utterly ridiculous, but Ruby beamed and continued the story.

"They scatter in all directions! Grimm everywhere! They swoop around for another attack, but we had a surprise package ready to greet them."

Grinning, Yang nodded to Weiss before jumping onto a glyph rotating on the grass in between them and Team JNPR. The second Yang disappeared into the night sky, Nora jumped to her feet and rushed over.

"Me too! I wanna fly too!"

Nora's eyes were pleading - so pleading that Weiss turned to Ruby for direction. Unperturbed by the interruption, Ruby grinned and nodded.

"And the first Nevermore arrives!" Ruby exclaimed as Weiss sent Nora springing into the air to greet Yang on the way down.

"Oh you've done it now." Shaking her head, Blake took a step out of the way right before the combined ball of Yang and Nora landed where she'd just been. The two had their hands locked around the other's wrists and were wrestling for control.

"The Nevermores - lose - Nora!" Yang said with considerable effort.

"I'm a new - kinda Nevermore!" Nora replied, letting out an "oomph" when Yang managed to get a heel in place and shoved Nora off of her. The instant Nora hit the ground, she sprang back to her feet and leapt towards Yang while making a screeching sound that was probably supposed to be some type of bird.

"Looks like this Nevermore is giving Yang a run for her money," Weiss commented, watching the wrestling match in amusement.

"Hey! Blake, don't just stand there - come help me!"

"You're on your own," Blake answered with a shake of her head. Not that there was much she could do to separate two vice grips from each other.

After a few more moments of useless wrestling, Yang jerked her arms back and Nora unexpectedly let go. Suddenly free of any resistance, Yang stumbled backward, lost her footing, and crashed into the table of desserts. Unsteady as it had already been, the additional weight caused the table to collapse inward and sent a pile of baked goods toppling on top of Yang.

For a split second, everything froze. And then Yang sat up in a daze, wiping a giant glob of whipped cream from her cheek. Chocolate and ice cream and whipped cream and pie filling was _everywhere_. And Yang looked so shocked by the sheer amount of it that Weiss struggled to suppress a laugh.

"Yang, you're so sweet," she joked instead, which made Blake burst into uncontrollable giggles.

Raising her hands above her head, Nora feigned innocence while saying a little, "oops" as an apology.

"You're so dead," Yang said while pushing herself to her feet. The threat might've been easier to take seriously if she wasn't covered in a combination of Ruby-approved desserts.

"Hey," Nora responded while taking a cautious step away from the slowly-approaching Yang. "Maybe if you use your flames, you can make a...whatcha call it...a flambé!"

When Blake laughed even harder, Yang grinned and sent her partner an overjoyed look. Ruby was laughing now too, and Weiss finally joined in.

"I'm about to flambé your head!" Yang threatened playfully. Squealing, Nora dodged out of Yang's reach and raced towards the woods - with Yang in hot pursuit.

After regaining control of her laughter, Blake caught Weiss' eye - her own amber eyes still sparkling merrily.

"I don't remember that being the end of the story, do you?"

"Not at all, but maybe our memories are as bad as Ruby's," Weiss replied, earning another soft laugh from her teammate.

"Maybe they are," Blake said before looking at the mess of desserts littering the ground. "I'll help clean up," she added, leaving Weiss' side to help the rest of JNPR collect the spilled contents of the table.

While Weiss watched Yang and Nora chase each other around the edge of the woods, a cold breeze swept across the yard and raised goosebumps along her arms. It had grown rather chilly as the night progressed…but then she caught a breath of rose-scented wind right before a jacket was draped around her shoulders.

"You looked cold," Ruby whispered. Briefly closing her eyes and hugging the jacket around her, Weiss sighed in content.

"Thank you…"

"No problem - I like taking care of you!"

The person Weiss had been a long time ago would have insisted that she could take care of herself, thank you very much. She didn't need help. She didn't need assistance. She didn't _need_ anybody. Fortunately, that wasn't the person she was today. Accepting help wasn't the same thing as weakness – accepting help was a part of living.

"Are you having a good time?" Weiss asked in lieu of launching into how much she loved taking care of Ruby too. The question made Ruby grin.

"Yeah! It's really fun. I kinda feel like...like my family just got really big. Does that make sense?"

Turning back to their friends - their family - Weiss nodded.

"It makes complete sense."

"The night's almost over though." Tilting her head up, Ruby looked at the brightly-shining moon before turning silver eyes back to Weiss. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Was she ready? Yes. A thousand times yes. Even if she _wasn't_ completely ready...if something felt like too much, if anything made her resolve waver…she knew just who to go to for support.

Instead of using the more serious answer, she arched one eyebrow in incredulity.

"I should be asking _you_ that, Miss Haven't-Packed-A-Single-Box."

"Hey! I've _partially_ packed _several_ boxes!"

"Uh huh…" Weiss replied with a teasing smirk.

"Don't worry! I'll totally be ready tomorrow morning. There's no way I miss this."

"Good."

Before Weiss could hug Ruby, their attention was drawn to the edge of the yard - where Yang was returning with Nora wrapped tightly in her arms. Nora wasn't squirming, although Weiss would guess she tried her hardest before realizing there was no escape. Having accepted her fate, Nora looked like she was walking around normally instead of being paraded around sideways by Yang Xiao Long.

"Hey guys!" Nora called out to them, unable to wave due to her arms being pinned to her side. "So...I'm supposed to tell y'all that I'm a big dingbat or something like that."

Sighing, Yang dropped Nora - who stuck her arms out to keep herself from hitting the ground face first. Popping to her feet with a grin, she rushed to Ren's side and poked him in the cheek before giggling. Without a sound, Blake appeared at Yang's shoulder and swiped one finger across a patch of remaining whipped cream before sticking it in her mouth.

"Mm...you need a shower."

"You think?" Yang asked before laughing. "I smell like a freaking bakery."

"Which means you smell _awesome!_ " Ruby piped in before her sister shook her head and trotted inside with Blake in tow.

"Oh my god! A piñata!"

While Ren tried to restrain Nora from going over and blasting the piñata to pieces, Winter walked past and caught Weiss' attention.

"Sorry, I should be going now. I have an early meeting tomorrow," Winter explained, although her quick departure needed no explanation. Weiss understood how busy Winter was - and how her workload had only grown after Weiss' departure from the family business.

"Thank you for coming."

"Yeah, thanks for coming!" Ruby added. "And for the gift - I'm excited to try it out!"

"Thank you for inviting me. It was great to see that you're doing better." Nodding to Ruby, Winter then smiled at Weiss. "Both of you. And if you're ever searching for a worthier opponent in your training..."

"You would do that?" Weiss asked, her eyes widening in surprise that such an offer would even be made.

"Of course. I'd love the opportunity to take on Ruby Rose again." As Winter spoke, Ruby's jaw nearly fell to the grass in shock.

"You're a huntress too? You'll fight against us? What's your weapon? Can I see it?"

The flood of questions made Winter smile in rapidly-growing amusement.

"All in good time, little rose. All in good time."

The unbridled excitement in Ruby's eyes made Weiss feel practically giddy with happiness. If Ruby was this enthusiastic about sparring with different huntsmen, then maybe it was time for Weiss to dust off her scroll and reestablish contact with the teams they'd trained with at Beacon. She was positive that many, if not all, of them would be more than willing to stop by Vale to take on Ruby Rose once more.

"That would be great," Weiss answered with a nod and smile. Winter hated losing just as much as Weiss did, but apparently Ruby was an exception for them both - not that anyone should be discouraged by losing to someone as talented as Ruby.

"We'll plan on it then," Winter said, bowing her head in farewell. "Until then, I hope you both have a wonderful night. And Weiss, do try to pick up your scroll and call me sometime."

"I'll remind her to do that!" Ruby exclaimed, so thrilled at the prospect of helping that she hopped in the air before dashing to Winter's side. "And I'll walk you out!"

"Thank you, Ruby," Winter replied with a warm smile. "I'm guessing I can trust that you'll take care of her?"

With that question hanging in the air, both of them turned back to Weiss - Winter with lightly sparkling eyes and Ruby with a big grin to accompany her fervent nods.

"You bet I will!"

The answer made Weiss' heart swell with delight while Winter failed to hide a smile.

"Good," she replied, sending one last glance Weiss' way before heading into the house. Ruby scrambled to follow, already talking a mile a minute about weapon mechanisms while the two disappeared inside - leaving Weiss temporarily outside on her own.

Looking up at the moon, she tried to memorize this moment and all the feelings that came with it. When she looked back on this day, she wanted to remember exactly how it felt to be here – with her friends and family – after everything that happened.

Was she better? Not entirely. Some days she wasn't fine. Some days she missed the past in a heart-wrenching way. But her friends were there to support her, if she was willing to let them. It didn't matter that she felt like she had nothing to offer them in return. It didn't matter that she felt like she took more from them than she gave. If she accepted their help, they would give it endlessly - their generosity of heart and spirit overflowing time and time again.

It might be impossible for her to fully repay their kindness, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. She would be there for them too, if they ever needed her. She would make sure of it.

Closing her eyes before the incoming trail of petals appeared, she drew in a deep inhale of flowers and rejoiced in the warmth of her partner.

"I love you," Ruby whispered in Weiss' ear, placing a quick peck on her cheek before whizzing away. Weiss immediately spun to follow - catching the smile Ruby sent over her shoulder while racing to join Team JNPR near the imminently-doomed piñata.

If Ruby hadn't just said it, that smile did.

Love. Ruby loved her.

As flawed as Weiss was, there was _something_ in her worth loving. Maybe she would never figure out exactly what it was, but it was important that she acknowledge its existence. Because Ruby had found it - not once, but twice - so maybe one day Weiss would uncover it too.

This emotional discovery was an inescapable condition of life. Even though she and Ruby wished and claimed for their time together to be eternal, it was actually quite short and finite. Making a mistake, even the considerable ones Weiss had made, wouldn't and couldn't end the world. Instead, her mistakes gave her the opportunity to grow stronger and become a better person, both to herself and to those around her.

After all, it's not the mistakes that define you...


	46. Chapter 46

**I guess I should've made an announcement last week, but I'm just one very exhausted writer. I consider Chapter 45 (the previous chapter) to be the 'end' of the story, which is probably why many of you felt that it was over. Technically, yes! The last few chapters I think of as extended epilogues for your enjoyment :D**

 **Thank you again for all of the support. When all is said and done, there will be 48 total chapters. We have a couple weeks left.**

* * *

"Come _on_ , Yang!"

After impatiently waving one hand, Ruby sprinted out the front door with a small box perched precariously in her other arm.

"Jeez...I know I _pretend_ not to care about anything, but you don't have to _run_ away from me," Yang mumbled while casually carrying a much larger box out to the car. "I have _some_ feelings, ya know."

Tossing her box into the backseat, Ruby ran over to hug her big sister - a sideways hug since the box was kind of in the way.

"I'm going to miss you too, Yang," she said before hopping away and watching Yang _slowly_ drop the box into the trunk, move it a half inch to the side, and then straighten the edge ever so slightly.

"But I don't wanna be late!"

When the heck did Yang get so picky? On any other day, she'd throw boxes into the car just like Ruby, but _today_ she decides to be careful? Not just careful, but extra, extra careful. It's not like Ruby packed boxes full of puppies or kittens or something! Just clothes and trinkets and some potentially unstable Dust enhanced weapons - but nothing they had to be _that_ careful with!

"She's right," Blake agreed while pulling out the box Ruby had just tossed in the car and placing it neatly on the floor in the back seat. "If we're late, Weiss will probably freak out and think Ruby changed her mind."

Eyes widening in horror at the words, Ruby flashed into the house at full speed to find her scroll. Which she'd brilliantly left in the super easily accessible...wait. Where the heck was it?

Spinning around in a semblance-assisted circle, she yelped in shock while diving forward to catch the abandoned glass of water she almost blew off the table. Righting the glass without a single drop spilled, she turned around at a more normal speed to find her scroll. Did she pack it? She wouldn't have packed it - well, she _shouldn't_ have packed it, but that didn't mean she _hadn't_ packed it…

Pulling a cushion off the sofa, she let out a happy "aha!" while grabbing her scroll from between the cushion and back of the sofa. How it got there...she had no idea. But she grabbed it and typed as fast as her fumbling fingers would let her.

 _'_ _We're almost on the way just loading up more boxes. I'm still coming I promise!'_

Satisfied that the message would reassure Weiss for now, Ruby put the scroll in her back pocket and blasted outside to badger her sister.

"We can't be late!"

"Yeah, yeah...wouldn't want the princess to get her knickers in a knot…" Yang grumbled while moving another box around in the trunk. _Finally_ getting that box situated in the _perfect_ spot, she straightened up, wiped an arm across her brow, and sighed. "If you're in such a rush, why don't you use that semblance of yours and get the rest of your stuff out here?"

Right! Her semblance! Duh.

That meant Ruby would have to carry _all_ of the boxes outside...and some of them she definitely packed with Yang in mind. But she was pretty strong! She could totally do it!

She nearly crashed into the living room wall when she barreled inside at full speed, but the next box was delivered to the curb in no time. The second one was stacked not-so-neatly on top. The third was really heavy and she nearly tripped and fell while running it outside, but somehow kept her footing and pressed it directly into Yang's hands.

Why did she have so much stuff? She didn't want to pack it all - she just wanted to get going! Weiss and her hadn't spent last night together because her room was still in one piece and she didn't want Weiss to freak out. There was no reason to freak out though - Ruby was the world's fastest packer! As in she was fast, but not necessarily at packing.

Using her exceptional deductive reasoning skills, she'd become a master packer in no time! She'd actually uncovered a really great method too - it was called 'shove everything into boxes as fast as possible.' Worked every time! There was no reason to pay any attention to what went together or even what _fit_ in the box. Smash the top down, throw on some tape, done!

Oh...Weiss was going to see the outcome of Ruby's really great packing method when they unpacked. Unless Ruby unpacked so fast that Weiss never got a chance to see inside the boxes! But that was a problem for the future. The more immediate concern was that she might _never_ make it there at the rate Yang was moving.

The sooner they got everything loaded up, the sooner they could leave and the sooner Ruby could see Weiss again. Last night sucked being apart, but Blake had convinced them it was like how people weren't supposed to see each other the night before their wedding. Put a romantic spin on things. And made them both blush like tomatoes, but ya know...romance.

"Last one!" Ruby exclaimed while dropping a packed duffle bag by the car door.

"Are you _sure?_ "

Well, she _was_ until Yang asked it like that!

"I'll double check!" she said before racing back inside.

She was impatient to see Weiss again but didn't want to forget anything important. Not like she'd be far away. Actually, she wasn't going to be far away at all. Why was she going through all this trouble when she could probably run back for anything she'd forgotten?

She supposed...she was here now, so she should just cross her T's and dot her I's before heading out.

Living room - check. Garage - check. Bedroom...

Standing in the doorway, she surveyed the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important. The furniture was still there, but all of her stuff was gone - packed up and moved out to the car. No more boxes, and nothing left that she was taking with her.

Her pyramid of empty pill bottles had been thrown away. Well, first she knocked them down with a tennis ball, then she picked them up and threw them in the garbage.

For a long time, she liked having them around because they reminded of what she went through. When she looked at them, she felt all accomplished and strong...but at this point, they didn't seem important enough to keep any longer. That chapter of her life had ended, and now she was starting a new one - with Weiss!

So the pill bottles were gone, and the desk was cleared except for two small things. One was Mr. Red - who was sitting happily in the same place he'd been ever since she created Thorn. He'd officially retired to the good life of sitting around doing nothing, and he was staying here as a reminder that this was still her room even if she wasn't living here!

Picking him up, Ruby squeezed the small stress ball in her left hand while looking around her empty bedroom.

It was a little sad that she was leaving this place behind. It held a lot of memories for her - from the pain, frustration, and impatience of her recovery to the joy, excitement, and more impatience of healing and rejoining her team.

Things were changing, but they were all good changes.

"Hey."

This time Ruby didn't even jump when Blake appeared out of thin air behind her in the hallway.

Ok, that was a lie. She jumped a _little_ , but nowhere near as much as she'd jumped while learning how stealthy Blake could be.

"Hey," Ruby replied, turning to face Blake in the hall. She noticed Blake's eyes drift over her shoulder to the mostly-empty room before sliding back to her.

"Are you ready?"

The question seemed to imply more than just ready to walk out the front door, so Ruby paused and glanced back at her room, checking her mental state of mind.

It was funny how much life could change in such a short amount of time. For every bit of frustration she suffered in this room, she'd found strength, courage, and so much more. It was hard to leave this place behind because this was where it all started...the second time. But if she'd learned anything over the past year, it was that sometimes memories had to be let go. And that was ok.

"Excited for whatever's next!" she answered with a big grin.

Accepting that response with a hint of a smile, Blake bit her lip and looked briefly unsure if she wanted to say whatever she wanted to say next. After opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, she finally spoke.

"If you _ever_ need anything…" she began slowly, her eyes holding Ruby's. "You know where to find me."

Just like that, Ruby felt her heart grow three times as big in her chest. Reaching out, she pulled Blake in for a hug that Blake willingly returned. Just like Weiss, Blake had gotten way better at giving hugs over time - this one being every bit as warm and caring as Yang's were, albeit much less crushing...which was kind of nice.

"Do I though?" Ruby asked, pulling away and giving Blake a playful grin. "I mean, you're pretty hard to find on a good day. And if it's dark out, forget about it."

The joke made Blake laugh lightly, her ears twitching happily as she did so.

"I see your point," she responded with a genuine smile. "Guess that just means I'll have to keep an eye on you instead."

"That actually sounds a lot better - and easier for me!"

"Deal," Blake agreed before turning to head outside. But she didn't leave without adding, "You might want to talk to your sister before we leave."

"Oh yeah! I have something for her!" Ruby remembered, but reached out to touch Blake's shoulder before she could walk away. "But Blake?"

When Blake turned back, it was with a curious expression.

"Before we go, I just wanted to say thank you...for all your help."

"You don't need to thank me, Ruby," Blake replied with a shake of her head. "I know that if our situations were reversed, you would've done the same for me."

Pausing for a second, Ruby thought about what it might be like if Blake was the one who lost a good chunk of her memories. Talk about a challenge! It'd probably be impossible to keep track of her, so if she ever got loose they wouldn't be able to find her. Unless they had some way to trace her...like a bracelet or a necklace or something…and it could say 'If found, please return to Ruby Rose' with her number...

"I still appreciate it," Ruby said. "I wouldn't be here without your help."

"Neither would I," Blake responded with a smile, nodding once before heading back to the living room.

As usual, Blake was way too modest about how awesome she was. How much great advice had she given Ruby over the past year? From little things like 'you _probably_ shouldn't eat an entire jar of olives at once' to life-changing advice like 'don't worry about too fast or too slow,' Blake was a dispensary of guidance. If Ruby had paid for the help, Blake would be a quadrafrillionaire by now.

But she always helped Ruby for free. Talk about a great deal. And a great friend.

Poking her head down the hallway, Ruby yelled, "Yang!" before stepping back into her room and waiting for her sister to arrive. Setting Mr. Red down, she picked up the only other item remaining on the desk and held it in both hands.

Yang appeared a few seconds later, not walking into the room but instead leaning casually against the doorframe. After looking around the empty room, she sighed.

Even though Yang _looked_ normal, it didn't take a detective to figure out that she was a little sad.

"I can't believe you're moving out…" she whispered. And, when her eyes finally dropped to Ruby, they were misty with emotion.

"Aww...Yang, we'll see each other all the time!" Ruby reassured her.

"But I'm going to miss seeing you every day!"

"We can still see each other every day!"

" _Every_ day?"

"Well, I mean, we'll see each other a lot!" Ruby backtracked. "Plus, I'll only be like five minutes away! It's not like I'm moving to Mistral or something."

"I know…" Pausing, Yang looked around the room one more time before sighing again. "I just love living with you, ya know?"

"I love living with you too! But this is a good change - a part of growing up, right?"

With a slow smile, Yang nodded. "Right. You are growing up, huh? But...you know that if you ever want to come back, you can, right?"

"I know! And if you ever wanna move," Ruby began before pausing. "Uh, well I'll ask Weiss first, but I'm sure she'd be ok with it! At least temporarily..."

Chuckling at the response, Yang reached out and pulled Ruby into a big bear hug.

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know you offered that," Yang muttered into Ruby's ear before pulling away with what looked like a true Yang smile. "But I'm going to _try_ not to bother you guys too much."

"I won't mind if you do! But before that, I made something for you!"

Holding the small-wrapped box out in her hands, Ruby grinned when Yang picked it up and carefully unwrapped it. Letting the paper fall to the floor and opening the box, Yang looked at the contents inside and smiled. Reaching into the box, she gently pulled out a small metal bee that was made out of spare pieces of metal, just like the butterflies were.

Finding black metal was easy, but the yellow had been hard to find. Apparently, yellow wasn't a very common color for weapons! Which was weird...because that's literally _all_ Yang looked for in a weapon. But Ruby eventually stumbled across the perfect parts - pieces of an old bow that shimmered gold in the light.

That wasn't even the best part about the bee though. The best part was when Yang set it in the palm of her hand and the wings began moving quickly, quick enough to make a faint 'bzzzzz'ing noise in the quiet room.

"See? I caught one!" Ruby joked, lightly poking the bee before lifting her hand away to show she hadn't been stung this time.

"It's just a little thank you," she added in a soft voice while Yang stared at the gift. "For...being my sister."

When Weiss and her decided to move in together, Ruby knew she needed to get Yang something as thanks for taking such good care of her. 'It'll be easy!' she thought before spending _days_ trying to figure out a gift that could come close to expressing how much she loved her sister.

The best ideas she came up with were: anything homemade, or a guest role on one of those crappy TV shows Yang liked so much. Since Ruby couldn't even remember the names of the shows, a homemade gift was what she decided to go with! Plus, there was the added benefit that she already knew how to make the wings move - she only needed to make them move a lot faster to make it buzz like a real bee.

Attention still glued to the bumblebee, Yang watched its wings spin almost invisibly in the palm of her hand. It was a pretty transfixing, if Ruby said so herself. Which she did. Because it was! And the buzzing noise was relaxing in this weird way…

When Yang finally looked up, her eyes were welling with tears, and she quickly pulled Ruby into another tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Ruby," Yang choked out through emotion before letting go. "Sad for myself, happy for you."

"Aww Yang…" Reaching out, Ruby touched Yang's shoulder while her sister lifted the bee and wiped her eyes with her arm.

"But this is awesome! I love it. I can't wait to show Blake - I know she'll love it too."

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, thrilled that her gift was a success. "Do you think she'll want one? I can make more!"

With a light chuckle, Yang said: "I'll ask and see what she says."

In the brief silence that followed, Yang's eyes swept the room one more time - but this time ended up on Ruby while a smile appeared. It was a smile Ruby returned wholeheartedly. And, while she'd never perfected the art of reading her sister's mind, she knew what Yang was going to say next.

"Guess it's time to get outta here, huh?"

When Ruby nodded, Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rustled her hair.

"Yanggg," she whined while being led away from her old bedroom.

"Come on, I'm not gonna be able to do that all the time now - gotta get 'em in while I can!"

"I guess…" Ruby replied, although her protest was half-hearted, at best. Fixing her ruffled hair was pretty easy, so it wasn't like it was a huge deal. Plus, having Yang mess up her hair was a right of passage! It meant that she was loved...and that was something she'd never complain about.

It was only when Yang set the bee down on the table by the sofa that Ruby noticed something small, red, and plentiful littering the ground.

Rose petals. Lots of them - leftovers from her dashes through the house taking the boxes outside.

"Ah shoot!" Ducking out from under Yang's arm, Ruby said "I'll clean those up!" before racing to find the dustpan. Of course, her haste caused another wave of petals to fall to the floor and scatter across the room. Groaning out loud, Ruby grabbed the pan and _slowly_ walked back to the living room so she didn't add to her mess.

What was the point of being fast if it meant she couldn't clean quickly without making an even bigger mess? Why couldn't she be fast _and_ clean?

Maybe her semblance wasn't actually speed. Maybe it was irony.

Oh! That was a good one. She'd tell Yang later, when the timing was just right.

"Don't worry about it," Yang told Ruby, waving off her efforts to sweep up the petals. "Something to remember you by."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Now come on - can't keep Weiss waiting, can we?"

When Yang took the dustpan from Ruby's hands and tossed it onto the sofa, Ruby grinned and jogged out to the car. At the sound of the front door closing behind her, she turned and took a good look at the house she was leaving behind.

She really loved living here! It was a home filled with love, that's for sure. And not just the kind Yang and Blake liked making in large quantities.

It had been the perfect place for a new beginning.

"No chance you forget something?" Yang asked after making it to the car and taking a look at the boxes stacked inside.

"Nope! I'm super organized!" The reply made Yang laugh while Blake smiled from beside her. "What?" Ruby asked in disbelief. "I am!"

The claim only made Yang laugh harder, which was a welcome sound to hear. Ruby hated the idea of Yang being sad, so it would be a bummer if moving out made her happy but Yang sad. Thankfully, it looked like that wouldn't be the case - which was good because they really _would_ see each other all the time. They had a team to rebuild, after all! Team practices, team dinners, team everything - all right on the horizon. Maybe they'd be living separately, but they probably _would_ see each other every day.

"Glad you're feeling better!" Ruby remarked with a big smile.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. Blake promised we'd have tons of fun without you here," Yang replied, sending Blake a wink. While Ruby looked between the two of them, Blake slapped Yang's shoulder.

"You're going to have tons of fun without me?" she whined.

"Make sure to ask Blake _all_ about it later," Yang told Ruby with another wink before getting into the car.

Making a mental note to do just that, Ruby opened the door to the back seat and found herself looking at...a ton of boxes.

"Are you going to fit?" Blake asked while looking at the space that was left open. It wasn't really _space_...more of a sliver of air than anything else.

"I'll fit!" Ruby proclaimed before squishing herself into the seat.

Yup, she _totally_ fit - if she tucked her knees close to her chest and turned her shoulders so they weren't straight against the back of the seat. Fortunately, it was a short drive. Unless Yang decided to get 'lost' on the way there - which hopefully she wouldn't because this wasn't the most comfortable position in the world.

The good thing about short drives was that they were short. The bad thing about short drives was that they weren't long enough for many thoughtful...thoughts. In movies, the main characters always got exactly how much time they needed to figure out a problem or come up with a new theory of relativity - even when traveling only a block or two. Maybe their brains just worked faster than Ruby's...which seemed pretty impossible given her general penchant for speed.

The drive was just long enough for her to realize that she wasn't nervous about moving in with Weiss. _Back_ in with Weiss, technically.

Maybe that's why she wasn't super nervous...because they'd already lived together and everything seemed to have been working just fine. If it worked before, it could work again. That probably did away with a whole bunch of her nerves. That, and Ruby was still wearing the ring on a necklace around her neck. She understood what it meant now. It was a promise...and not a promise that could be easily broken.

If _that's_ how close they once were, then moving in together was just the tip of the iceberg.

Sometimes, she thought that maybe she should wear the ring again - it fit her perfectly, after all - but she didn't want to be too hasty. Wasn't that a surprise? For once, _she_ was the one trying not to be hasty! Not that she wouldn't wear it...she'd already put it on a few times to check the sizing, but she kind of wanted Weiss to ask her again. Since she didn't exactly remember how Weiss asked the first time.

"Perfect timing."

See? Short drive. Very little time for thoughtful thoughts.

But Blake was right. They'd made it just in time! Weiss was standing outside speaking to a large, muscular man who was in the process of opening the back of a moving truck parked in the front drive. Once Yang pulled to a stop behind the truck, Ruby practically fell out of the car when she opened the door. But she didn't. She almost did, but righted herself and raced over to Weiss for a hug.

"Gooood morning!" she called out, lifting Weiss' feet off the ground and spinning her in a circle with happiness. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," Weiss replied softly, using her fingers to lightly tuck several loose strands of hair behind Ruby's ear.

"Where'd you say you wanted this, Miss?"

When the moving-man interrupted their moment, Weiss gave him a look that implied she no longer wanted his presence before sending Ruby an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry," Ruby said before Weiss could say anything. "I'll just start taking stuff in!"

After kissing Weiss on the cheek, Ruby hopped back to the car and picked up a box from the backseat. Once she had it securely in her hands, she ran to the front door and tried the handle, but it was locked. Balancing the box in one arm, she turned to the keypad by the door.

"One, six, five, eight," she hummed to herself while punching in the numbers. "Now I know I won't be late!"

Giggling at her rhyme, she pushed open the door and walked into the entryway. After dropping the box near one of the walls, she stood in the center of the room and looked up at the chandelier. Taking a deep breath of now-familiar air, she smiled to herself.

This was her new home. How cool was that?

Hearing footsteps, she turned around and found Weiss walking into the house behind her.

"Was it open?" Weiss asked, pausing at the door and looking at the handle in concern.

"No, I unlocked it - don't worry!"

"Oh." For a second, Weiss visibly relaxed - but then she looked at Ruby in confusion. "Wait -"

"Holy Grimm!" Yang suddenly called from outside. "Ruby, what's in this box?"

Hurrying to the doorway, Ruby found Yang puffing under the weight of a big box - the same one Ruby nearly fell trying to carry with earlier.

"The extra metal from my closet. Do you need help?" she offered.

Shooting a look at the burly man carrying a box out of the moving truck, Yang scoffed.

"Of course not. Just tell me where to put this thing."

"The workshop! Do you need me to show you?"

"Naw, I got it." When Yang walked through the door, she paused and winked at Ruby. "Pretty sure I've been here before."

Right - Yang and Blake used to come over all the time. They practiced in the combat room and in the backyard. They had dinners together, watched movies...basically, everything they did at Yang and Blake's place, they also did here.

With Yang on her way downstairs, Weiss hurried in the other direction to show the mover where to put his box. While both of them were occupied, Ruby hurried out to the car and picked up another box before walking back to the house with Blake.

"Let's leave all the heavy boxes for Yang," Blake suggested with a smirk.

"That's a great idea! Make her prove her strength!" When Blake laughed, Ruby suddenly had another idea. "Wouldn't it be funnier if we left all the really small things for her?"

Laughing a little harder, Blake shook her head and set the box she'd been carrying near the wall outside the living room.

"Next time we'll do that. See how she responds."

Most likely Yang would respond by doing something gratuitously powerful to prove she wasn't a weakling, but they'd have to wait and see. Although Ruby didn't plan on moving again anytime soon...

Freed of another box, Ruby jogged outside for more stuff. She was already heading back into the house with a box in her hands and Crescent Rose balanced over one shoulder when a smaller truck pulled up in the drive. Out of the corner of her eye, she just barely caught one of the words on the side - food something.

Oh, food! When would they get to eat? Hopefully, that truck was delivering lunch!

Once in the foyer, she could hear Weiss' voice coming from somewhere upstairs while Yang and Blake slipped outside. Ruby continued to the door leading to the combat simulation room, which had been propped open so she could walk downstairs.

And by walk downstairs, she meant balance the box carefully on the banister with Crescent Rose on top, then hop onto the railing and slide to the bottom in record time.

It was every bit as awesome as she'd imagined it to be!

Seeing the bottom quickly approaching, she wrapped both hands around the box and hopped off just as the railing disappeared. Sticking the landing with a slight slide forward from the momentum, she grinned while walking away like a pro - box and weapon still in hand.

Turning left, she headed to the locker bays - where Crescent Rose was going into her very own locker. Now, no matter where Ruby went, she'd only be a few seconds away from her weapon. Even Crescent Rose was growing up!

Ruby never had a weapon locker before...well, obviously she _had_ , but that was the previous version of her. The previous version of her...who'd already decorated the locker for her.

Sometimes, it was really weird to see these little pieces of the past littered around the house, but other times it was really cool. It gave her something to aspire to - like, one day she wanted to be able to draw such great roses. And one day she wanted to be able to do whatever she'd done to that flying, sparkling dagger in the workshop.

Seriously, it _flew_ and sparkled like a firefly. And she had absolutely no idea how she did it. Even after tearing the thing apart multiple times, she was stumped! One day it would tell her its secrets though...they always did...

With Crescent Rose stored away, Ruby left the box of random parts near the door to the workshop and raced upstairs - taking the steps two at a time. Bursting through the open door, only slightly breathless from the rapid ascent, she heard one of the trucks rumble off right before she shot back into the sunlight. The moving truck with Weiss' stuff was still there and so was the tiny-by-comparison car, so it must've been the 'food' truck that just left.

Hurrying over to the car, Ruby peered through the windows before racing around and looking into the trunk. Using her impeccable vision, she could clearly see that there weren't any boxes left. Zero. Zilch. No boxes to be found - outside, at least, because now they were _inside_ the house.

This morning it felt like so much stuff, but apparently it wasn't that much at all!

When Ruby heard voices, she turned towards the house and saw Yang and Blake walk outside while talking amongst themselves. The moving man appeared right after them, with Weiss on his heels. The man hurried over to the truck and hauled himself up into the back to check if there was anything hidden behind stacks of boxes that were staying with him. Satisfied by what he found (or didn't find), he jumped down and pulled the truck's bay door closed with a loud, rattling slam.

This morning it felt like they were so far away, but...this was it.

"Thank you for your assistance," Weiss said politely while paying the man for his help.

"Thank you, Miss," he replied, quickly swiping her card and handing it back with a receipt. "Have a wonderful day."

While he headed to the driver's side of the truck, Yang leaned against the car and wiped her arm across her brow. When the moving truck roared to life, she spared it one glance and grinned.

"Whew. Made short work of that, didn't we?"

"Having you around certainly helped," Blake replied while squeezing Yang's upper arm.

"You really know how to make someone _want_ to move," Yang teased with a big smile.

"Thank you both for your help," Weiss added, drawing Ruby's full attention. "I'm not entirely sure Ruby could've done it without you."

"Totally couldn't have! Thanks you guys!"

"No problem." Reaching out, Yang bumped her fist with Ruby's before leaning away. "Apparently, I need to help some strangers move today too. Gotta beautiful girl to impress."

Briefly flexing her muscles, Yang winked at Ruby and didn't catch the playful nod Blake gave from beside her.

"Are you leaving now?" Ruby asked when she noticed Yang reach for the keys in her back pocket.

"Because if you'd like to stay…" Weiss offered.

"We can help you unpack?" Yang asked with a laugh. "Thanks, but I think we'll pass. We just spent the last few hours helping Ruby _finish_ packing. I think you two can handle the unpacking on your own."

Busted.

When Ruby gave Weiss a sheepish grin, Weiss smiled and shook her head.

"I already figured that was the case," she teased, reaching out and tickling Ruby's side.

"They only helped a little!" Ruby said before giggling and squirming away. "Ok, a lot! They helped a lot."

"That's what I thought," Weiss replied with a smug smile before turning back to Blake and Yang. When Ruby turned back as well, Yang patted both hands on her thighs and stepped forward.

"Ok kiddo, we'll leave you two lovebirds to your nest. Now give me a hug." Yang gestured with both hands, and Ruby didn't need any more incentive than that to fly into her sister's arms for a long hug.

It'd be a lie to say she wasn't a little sad right now. She was going to miss Yang a lot! But they'd still see each other all the time, and no bit of measly distance could take away what they had together. They were sisters - no matter what.

"Mom would be proud of you," Yang whispered before pulling away with a smile.

Even though there was no moon in sight, Ruby shot a glance skyward.

"You think so?"

"I know so," Yang replied before wrapping Ruby in another hug, squeezing her tightly and lifting her off the ground before letting go and walking backward around the car. "But I better hear from you soon. Don't forget I know exactly where to find you!"

When Yang pointed at her, Ruby nodded obediently. Satisfied with the answer, Yang opened the driver's side door but rested her arms on the hood while waiting for Blake.

"Don't be a stranger," Blake said softly, her ears slightly flattened. Without hesitation, Ruby threw her arms around Blake's neck for a hug, briefly surprising Blake before she hugged back in full.

"You're my best friend, Blake - how could I stay away for long?"

Sighing in content, Blake squeezed Ruby tightly before letting go, only briefly meeting Ruby's eyes before turning away. After Blake slipped into the passenger seat, Yang finally put one foot into the car.

"You take care of her," Yang ordered, nodding behind Ruby's back. Turning around, Ruby saw Weiss nod in response before Yang grinned and got into the car.

"See you later!" Yang called out as the car started and drove away from the house - leaving Weiss and Ruby standing there alone.

She'd moved. She didn't live with Yang anymore. This was the first time in her life (that she remembered) that she wouldn't live with her sister close at hand. It was going to be really different, but it would also be ok. She could take care of herself...and she had a pretty dang good partner around for support.

But she'd moved! First order of business - waste no time flying to Weiss and smothering her in a hug.

"I missed youuu!" Ruby wailed while nuzzling into Weiss' neck. "Last night was so longggg!"

"It was…" Weiss murmured, wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck. "But you're here now."

"Are you ok though? You look really tired." Standing straight, Ruby rubbed one thumb lightly across Weiss' cheek, right underneath eyes that looked more exhausted than usual.

"I'm great. I…" Pausing, Weiss looked moderately embarrassed before finally admitting, "I was actually too excited to sleep."

"You're so cute!"

After squeezing Weiss tightly, Ruby pulled away and kissed her right on the lips. Weiss always seemed so shocked when Ruby did that, which only made her want to do it more! When would the surprise wear off? Guess she'd find out. But whenever it did, she'd find something new to do. Gotta keep things interesting. Gotta keep Weiss on her toes.

Hearing a soft sigh of content, Ruby pulled away and watched Weiss' eyes slowly flutter open - bright blue irises sparkling in the sunlight.

"Are you ready?" Weiss asked, gesturing towards the front door. Even though it was just a door, Ruby looked at it and beamed.

Was she ready? Heck yes she was! This was one of the moments she'd been waiting for. A year ago, she hadn't even known that this could be possible, yet it was happening. Right. Now.

"You know, people have been asking me that a lot recently. The answer is almost always yes!"

"Good." Reaching out, Weiss took Ruby's hand and smiled. "Me too."

Hand-in-hand, Weiss led them back to the house and through the open doorway together.

"Welcome home," she murmured while squeezing Ruby's hand, the two of them sharing a smile that seemed to be only theirs.

"I could say the same thing to you," Ruby replied with a big smile. "Are you happy to be back?"

Weiss surveyed the entryway - currently filled with haphazard stacks of boxes and other moving material - before smiling at Ruby.

"You have no idea."

It was hard to imagine what this day felt like for Weiss - who, from what she'd told Ruby, had never expected to live here again. Was it a relief? Overwhelming? Scary? Surreal? Ruby had to think it was a little of everything…but as long as Weiss was smiling, everything was going to be just fine.

"So...where should we start?" Ruby asked while looking at the stacks of unpacked boxes. "Living room? Or -"

"How about we start in the kitchen?" Weiss asked while pulling Ruby in that direction. As soon as they stepped through the doorway, Ruby's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, releasing Weiss' hand in favor of racing in a circle around the island. The island that was _covered_ in food! "Where'd all this come from?"

There were fruits and cookies and crackers and all of the snacks she loved. Did she mention cookies? Because there was a mountain of them! There were even a couple of pies. And grapefruit! There were a few grapefruits too!

"I ordered food," Weiss answered with a pleased smile. "Can't have you go hungry, after all. Not with how hard you've been training."

Briefly picking up a box of pasta noodles, Ruby set it down with a grin. They could make spaghetti!

"You're the best!" Sensing that Weiss was about to argue with that claim, Ruby quickly added, "Let's go see our room now!"

With Weiss' nod of approval, Ruby led the way up the stairs before rushing away to open the doors of the two guest bedrooms. It was weird for doors to be closed when no one was inside - it made everything feel closed off, but she liked for things to feel open! Fortunately, Weiss didn't seem to mind. Or, if she did, she didn't say anything.

After that was done, the two of them walked into their room. Their room. That was so strange to think about! It was theirs. Not Ruby's. Not Weiss'. Theirs. They had their _own room_.

And they had lots of boxes in it. It was obvious whose were whose though - Weiss' were stacked neatly along one wall, while Yang had left Ruby's haphazardly strewn around them.

"We can unpack later," Weiss muttered, walking over to the closet and peering inside at a few more boxes. "Fortunately, I don't think we have a pressing need for anything at this moment."

"Nope! Especially not when we already have clothes here!" Ruby gestured at the closet, which was already basically full. They probably needed to get rid of stuff before they could fully unpack…

But look at Weiss right now. She was adorably focused on something - her eyes flitting from the boxes to the closet and back again.

Watching Weiss' concentrated expression was always fascinating because it was almost possible to watch the super intelligent gears turning in her mind. If only Ruby could read Weiss' thoughts...that would be even better...but for now, she enjoyed watching her solve problems.

Finally shaking her head, Weiss mumbled, "We'll figure that out later…" before reaching over to click off the closet light. But, even though the switch audibly clicked, the light remained on.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Weiss murmured to herself while flipping the switch on and off several more times.

Sensing that Weiss needed a little help, Ruby swooped to the rescue! Or, she walked over and calmly tried the switch herself. When the light obediently turned off, Weiss gave Ruby a look that implied she'd just worked some kind of miracle.

Which she kind of _had_ , right? The light wasn't turning off; now it was off! It wasn't like it was something simple like the switch was kind of broken and needed to be clicked in a very particular way or anything. Nope! Miracle Ruby!

"So now I need you to turn off the lights for me?" Weiss asked in amusement.

"Hey, as long as you need me for something, I'm happy!"

"Then you must be ecstatic all the time."

Blushing at the reply, Ruby opened her mouth but couldn't find anything to say in response. She loved it when Weiss was witty though! And Weiss always delivered with such a straight face - even Yang would be jealous.

Clearing her throat did nothing to get rid of her blush, but Ruby did manage a quick, "I am," before grinning when Weiss chuckled.

"Come on, we can do this later," she said, pulling Ruby away from the boxes and back downstairs to the entryway. Their entryway.

Was she ever going to get tired of putting 'their' in front of everything?

"What would you like to do now?" Weiss asked. "Eat lunch?"

What were _they_ going to do now? Now that they were blessed with a nearly infinite amount of time together, there were so many options. Ruby didn't have to go home! She _was_ home. And she never had to leave.

"Orrrr...more Beowolves?" she suggested, wiggling her brow. The mere mention made Weiss blush and briefly turn away.

"If that's what you want..."

"We can do better this time - I know it!"

They probably would've beaten the simulation the last time, but they'd kind of...knocked into each other at the worst possible moment. Just a minor miscommunication! Ruby thought Weiss was going to move forward, and Weiss thought Ruby was going to go first. But _this time_ that wasn't going to happen.

It probably would, but that was part of working the kinks out! She actually didn't care whether or not they _beat_ it as long as they were learning something new - and they were! At least, Ruby was. Every time they fought together, it felt like their movements were...flowing better, if that made any sense.

"Once we have a few new strategies perfected, we should rechallenge Blake and Yang," Weiss suggested.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed, hopping in excitement. "That's a great idea - let's do that! Practice, learn, challenge - got it!"

"But before we do that," Weiss suddenly said, managing to perfectly grab ahold of Ruby's elbow before she turned away. "Don't you this place is...missing something?"

"Uh..." Spinning slowly in place, Ruby tried to spot anything obvious. There were no...trees? Treasure chests? Balloons! No, that couldn't be it…

"Like what?" she finally asked in confusion, glad to see that her bewilderment made Weiss try to hide a smile.

"Don't you think it...smells a little weird?"

Sniffing the air, Ruby was about to say 'no' when she noticed the half smirk on Weiss' lips. Grinning when she realized what Weiss was getting at, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on those grinning lips before blasting through the halls, laying streams of petals everywhere. Every time she raced past Weiss, she unfocused her semblance into the slowest of time, leaving Weiss with a kiss on the cheek before bursting away at full speed again.

The sound of Weiss' happy laughter filled Ruby's ears while she coated the rooms in red. The living room - roses. The kitchen - roses. The upstairs hallway, the bedrooms, _everything_ \- covered in roses.

Only when there were more petals than Ruby had ever seen before did she stop at Weiss' side and wrap both arms around Weiss' waist. Reaching out, Weiss caught a couple of petals as they drifted towards the floor, clutching them gently in one hand while leaning towards Ruby for one last kiss on the cheek.

"That's better…" Weiss whispered - so quietly Ruby almost missed it under the sound of her heart racing.

"I'm so lucky…" Ruby replied, nuzzling into Weiss' hair before moving to whisper in her ear. "I got to fall in love with you twice."

"Ruby…" Spinning around in Ruby's arms, Weiss looked into her eyes and smiled. " _I'm_ the lucky one."

And this time it was Weiss who stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Ruby.

Ruby immediately kissed back. Of course she kissed back - with a surge of love that continued to amaze her. Had she mentioned how much she loved kissing Weiss? Because she did. Like a ton. Weiss smelled amazing, her lips were so soft, and Ruby could practically feel the love and affection passing between them.

When Weiss finally broke away - their lips finally moving apart - Ruby was given another opportunity to marvel at how beautiful her partner was, with those blue eyes, perfect lashes, and adorably-flushed cheeks. But Weiss' beauty was only the beginning of what made her the most incredible person Ruby had ever met. Dive a little deeper, and it was easy to find her kindness, compassion, incredible strength and intelligence.

In a world that was sometimes unforgiving and always moved too fast, Weiss was...perfect. Not 'perfect' like she never made mistakes, but 'perfect' like she had all the qualities needed to survive a mistake and come back even better than before.

How lucky was Ruby that _Weiss_ was her partner? Sure, there was still a lot they didn't know about each other, but they were learning more and more every day. They grew closer every day. And Ruby kept discovering new ways to improve - not only as a huntress, but as a person and a partner.

Coughing lightly into her hand, Weiss quickly licked her lips before straightening her posture from _pretty_ -perfect to _ultra_ -perfect.

"So...Beowolves?"

"Beowolves!" Ruby hastily agreed, taking Weiss' hand and pulling her towards the stairs to the combat room, her adrenaline already beginning to grow.

There was still a lot they needed to do. First, a thousand Beowolves. Next, who knew? But they finally found each other and found a way to be happy. It might've taken them some time, but they finally made it. Now they could work on becoming the best partners Remnant had ever seen - again.

Look out world - Ruby Rose was back in action!

...but look out in a good way. No need to be afraid or anything.

Unless you're a Grimm. Then look out in a _bad_ way because Ruby and Weiss were coming for you! Only don't _actually_ look because it'd really be better if you were unprepared...

...

Ok, forget that.

Ruby out!


	47. Chapter 47

**Thank you again, everyone, for the support. Next week is our official epilogue and the end of the story. Thanks for coming along on this adventure with me!**

* * *

Walking into the suddenly-empty house, Yang tossed her keys on the kitchen table and sighed.

"It's gonna be so weird without her here…" she mumbled, plucking a leftover rose petal from the arm of the sofa and letting it fall to the floor. It landed near two more, which were part of a larger band of scattered leftovers from Ruby's departure.

"Are you going to be ok?" Blake asked softly, sliding her hand into Yang's.

"I think so…"

"It's ok to be upset…" Blake assured her, as usual giving permission for the request Yang lacked the courage to make.

"Yeah...can I just hold you for a little while?"

A soft "mhmm" was all the consent Yang needed to scoop Blake off the ground and clutch her tightly while walking over to the sofa. Sighing as she sat down and situated Blake in her lap, Yang tilted her head to the side while Blake ran one hand through her hair. The soothing motion added to the calm spreading through her chest - and the longer they sat there in easy silence, the further Blake's comforting presence traveled. It was incredible, really. Like aloe on a sunburn - Blake cooled the budding heat of stress in Yang's veins.

Feeling the smallest of vibrations against her side, Yang smiled and relaxed even further. A second later, her ears picked up the tiny rumbles emitting from Blake's chest. They sounded an awful lot like the purrs a cat might make, but they weren't purrs. Definitely not. They were 'rumbles of happiness,' according to Blake.

Whatever they were, they were the best. And as far as Yang was concerned, no sound in the world was more reassuring.

As the tension she'd been carrying lifted from her shoulders, she finally realized just how emotionally exhausted she was. Not only from the move today, but from everything that had happened over the past weeks. The past year. It had been like jumping on emotional roller coasters back to back to back. As much as she loved a good thrill, that was _not_ the type of experience she was after.

Now that things were back to quasi-normal, she understood just how accustomed to the _new_ normal she'd become. She got used to having Ruby's presence around again, so now the house felt oddly silent and...still...without her. Only Blake's rumbles of happiness broke through the strange silence, letting Yang know that some things were the same.

This was how it was before everything changed. It might take a while to get used to it again...

"Do you feel a little better now?"

Even though the question seemed innocent, Yang laughed.

"You already know I do," she replied, grinning at the pleased smile Blake gave her.

Blake was a wizard at reading cues that were invisible to the eye - part of that whole 'having way better senses than most of humanity' thing. One time, she explained how much information could be gathered simply by listening to someone's heartbeat. It _blew_ Yang's mind. Also embarrassed the heck out of her. She hadn't realized how much information she gave away with her heart!

Thankfully, most humans didn't have good enough hearing to pick up a heartbeat from more than an inch away. But the lesson had explained why it felt like Blake could read Yang's desires like a book when they started dating.

"I'll miss her too," Blake admitted softly. "But we'll see them all the time, just like we did before. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Ruby's back tomorrow morning looking for that ice cream she left in the freezer."

The comment made Yang grin and pull Blake closer.

"She did forget that, didn't she?"

"She did. Plus, it won't be long before she realizes that the five-minute drive only takes her a minute to run. Pretty soon we won't even know when she'll pop in."

Chuckling at the true statement before lapsing into comfortable silence, Yang knew that Blake was right. Of course she was right. They never had an issue seeing Weiss and Ruby before, so why would it be any different now? If anything, they were _closer_ than they were before. Funny how life-changing moments could do that to people...

"Did you see what she made?" Yang asked, reaching towards the side table and picking up the small metal bumblebee Ruby gave her. After gently setting it in Blake's hand, they both watched the wings start buzzing.

The gift was one of the coolest and most unique things Yang had ever seen…kind of like the person who made it.

"She might be the most talented tinkerer I've ever met," Blake commented, lifting the bee and setting it down so the wings stuttered before starting up again.

"Isn't she?"

Watching the bee work its magic in transfixing Blake, Yang resituated them on the sofa so her legs wouldn't fall asleep.

Thank god Blake was here. Otherwise, Yang had no idea what she would do. Pace restlessly? Immediately cave and go see what Ruby and Weiss were up to?

Maybe it was unusual to be so attached to her sister, but they were each other's support while growing up. When Yang needed help, she always had Ruby. When Ruby needed help, she always had Yang. Knowing that Ruby was ok meant that Yang could breathe easily and enjoy the world, but when they were apart...she wasn't sure how Ruby was doing.

She was entrusting Ruby to Weiss' care, but it wasn't easy to let go.

"What do you think they're doing now?" she asked, feeling a pinprick of worry interrupt their cozy snuggling.

"My guess? Training. Or making lunch."

"Actual lunch, right? Not like how we 'make lunch?'"

Chuckling at the response, Blake reached across Yang and set the bee back on the side table - her long raven hair gently brushing across Yang's face in the process.

"You know how much Weiss loves to cook for Ruby..."

When Blake leaned back and smiled, Yang felt her heart do a loud double jump in her chest. She adored it when Blake laughed. The happy sound reminded her of how close they were now. In private, Blake shared more of her emotions. She was more open about her thoughts, her worries, her feelings, and her wishes. Yang loved it that way - she loved seeing a side of Blake that no one else ever would.

And as long as Yang knew what was going on inside that beautiful noggin, she knew everything was just fine.

"Do you think we did ok? We didn't screw her up too bad or anything?"

Sensing the momentary increase in concern, Blake rested her palm on Yang's collarbone.

"Yang…" she began in that tone that said there was nothing to worry about. "She's happy and healthy."

"Yeah, but -"

When Blake raised her brow, Yang stopped her protest and let Blake continue.

"Weiss is also happy and healthy."

"But do you think she'll be _ok_?" Yang pressed. Worry was still creeping into her veins, but Blake lightly tapped her collar to remind her of the warm, soothing presence.

"You know how much Weiss loves her. She's going to be just fine."

"But what if something happens? Like if she needs to go to the hospital or something with her hand…?" Yang said, trailing off when Blake shook her head.

"Ordinarily your concerns might be valid, but we just left Ruby with the one person who will freak out and overreact just as much, if not more, than you would."

Pursing her lips, Yang thought about the response for a few seconds before finally feeling the knot of worry untie and fade away.

"You're right…" she said, leaning back into the sofa. "How many hospitals did Weiss try to buy the first time?"

"Pretty sure it was all of them," Blake answered with a nearly undetectable eye roll. "See? Ruby's going to be fine. They both will be."

Yang's heart warmed with happiness at the statement.

Watching Weiss regain a bit of her former self had been uplifting in a way that was difficult to explain. It was like she _finally_ realized that the punishment she forced upon herself wasn't helping anything. Sure, it was her way of dealing with grief, but it did nothing to help her heal and move on. It hadn't helped that Yang was pretty unsympathetic when Weiss returned, but thankfully Blake knocked some sense into her.

She hadn't understood. How could she? To her, the idea of leaving behind someone she loved...well, it wasn't even an idea, because it wasn't an option in her life.

But, as Blake explained, not everyone operated the same way Yang did. Some people dealt with grief and guilt by avoidance - running away and hoping that their problems would never catch up to them. Being angry at them only validated that decision. It proved that they made the right choice - because people _were_ angry at them. Because they _had_ done something terrible and wrong.

Anyone who knew Yang even remotely well knew that she didn't enjoy validating _any_ of Weiss' decisions. No way in hell was she letting Weiss think that her dumbest one was actually a good idea. Not when the accident wasn't Weiss' fault to begin with - that's why it was called an 'accident.'

"What about you?" Blake asked, quietly cutting into Yang's thoughts. "Are you happy?"

Pausing for only a second, Yang felt a smile grow. The adoring look she saw Ruby and Weiss share this morning said more than words possibly could.

"I'm really happy," she answered honestly, catching Blake's eyes while she smiled and nodded.

"I am too."

Hugging Blake closer to her chest, Yang heard a loud sigh of relief escape her lips.

It felt like a huge weight had just lifted from her shoulders. Not that taking care of Ruby was a burden, but trying to help her recover without ruining her fragile state of mind had been mentally taxing. Every day presented a new question that Yang didn't know the answer to. Was she ready to be told this bit of information? What about this one? How would she handle that? _Could_ she handle it?

Fortunately, Ruby reached a point where she could handle anything and _everything_. At least, that's how it felt as she snowballed her way through Beacon and into her past relationship with Weiss. It was incredible to watch her learn and absorb and seek out more and more information on her own. Somehow, Weiss switched on the part of Ruby's brain that had been blocked for a long time - the part that wanted to know things _outside_ of being a huntress.

If their places were reversed, Yang doubted that she could've taken in all that information and reacted in such a calm and understanding way. 'Calm' and 'understanding' weren't necessarily her strong suits, after all…

But now that she felt tremendously better, she loosened her grip and watched Blake roll her legs off the sofa and stand, reaching her hands towards the ceiling while stretching her back. Fuzzy black ears flicked at will, sending little messages Yang had yet to learn all the meanings of. Standing to join her partner, she watched intelligent amber eyes snap this way and that - taking in information she could only dream of knowing.

She was the opposite of calm and understanding, but her partner fit those words perfectly.

"What would I have done without you here?"

Blake tried to laugh the question off, but Yang wasn't going to let that happen. Not this time. Instead, she reached out and held one of Blake's hands in her own.

"I'm serious. What would've happened if Weiss showed up and you weren't here? I wouldn't have let her in. I almost slammed the door in her face. There's no way I would've let her hang around, and no chance I would've let her anywhere near Ruby."

Sensing Yang's sudden seriousness, Blake observed her intently.

"You would have forgiven her eventually, if she managed to stick it out."

"But what if she hadn't?"

The question made Yang think about the possible consequences - how everything could have turned out horribly wrong. Ruby would have ended up fine, but seeing her blossom into a nearly spitting image of her previous self with Weiss' reappearance had been like watching a butterfly emerge from a cocoon. And Weiss...Weiss needed Ruby more than she would ever publicly admit.

They both needed each other. What if Yang had stood in the way of that? All because she was too angry and irrational to give Weiss another chance?

A soft squeeze of her hand brought her back to the present.

"You don't have to worry about the 'what if's, Yang," Blake reassured her. "She stayed. And everything worked out just fine."

"Right. Because of you."

That was exactly the point Yang was trying to make, but Blake chuckled again, her eyes sparkling merrily.

"You're giving me too much credit. All I did was offer advice and my point of view. It was always up to you and Weiss to patch things up on your own. Just like it was up to Ruby and Weiss to rebuild their relationship."

How could Blake not see the role she played? How could she not see the difference she made?

It always amazed Yang when Blake was so selfless, but that was the type of person she was. She would work tirelessly for the people she loved and the causes she believed in. But at the end of the day - when most people stood back and admired what they accomplished - Blake accepted no congratulations and walked away believing she played no more than a small role in the results.

"You're incredible, you know that?"

Standing on her tiptoes, Blake kissed Yang lightly and gently squeezed her elbow.

"As long as you believe that, I'm happy."

While the two of them shared a smile, Yang continued to marvel at Blake's selflessness. Regardless of how long they'd been together, there were still times - like this one - when Blake's beauty and pure, unhinged amazingness hit Yang over the head like a hammer.

This was her partner. They'd been through thick and thin together. They'd made mistakes, they'd learned from them. They grew, but always within each other's orbit. They'd taken a temporary partnership and turned it into something strong, indestructible, and lifelong. And while 'love' was only four letters, it grew indefinitely - so much so that she could honestly say that she loved Blake more every day.

Out of nowhere, an idea sparked into Yang's mind. And, the second it was there, it burned so brightly that she knew it wasn't going away anytime soon.

 _This_ was one of the moments she'd searched for - the perfect moment where love and devotion bubbled up to the surface and overflowed. One of those cheesy, hopelessly romantic moments when love was in the air - Yang felt it with every breath she took.

"Wait here a second."

Without another word, she rushed to their bedroom, closed the door, and dropped to her knees by the bed. Reaching underneath, she dragged a heavy locker out into the light for the first time in ages. When she caught a glimpse of black cats, however, she shoved that one back and pulled out the other - the one with black and yellow bees painted all over it.

Yanking the locker all the way out from underneath the bed, she opened the hinged door and shoved aside some of her old school stuff and boxes of keepsakes. Taking out a framed picture resting near the top of the locker, she turned it over and found that it was a photo of her and Weiss from graduation.

That was a great day…one of the moments she considered to be the height of their togetherness as a team.

Carefully setting the frame on the floor beside her, she continued removing the locker's contents while searching for something else. There were lots of pictures of Weiss and Ruby...Yang put those on the floor in a separate pile. There was no reason to hide them any longer, and Ruby would probably want them back now.

"Damn, why do I have so much crap?" Yang muttered before finally shoving her entire arm into the locker and reaching towards the back - using her fingers to feel around blindly for...aha! Grabbing the small box she hid away a year ago, she pulled it out and turned it over in her hand.

'Hid' might be the wrong term. She stashed it in the locker and asked Blake not to look, knowing that Blake would honor the request even if it made her curious.

Feeling the soft velvet under her fingertips, Yang's heart started beating like crazy. Even though she was holding a simple box, it sounded like a hundred drums were banging against her ears.

But that idea - that spark - didn't fade with the surge of nerves. She'd waited forever for this goddammit. She wasn't going to let this moment pass her by - not when the time finally felt right.

Leaving the locker and all of its contents still spilled on the floor, she took a deep breath and left the room behind. Walking back into the living room, she felt her pulse increase even further when she found Blake leaning casually against the arm of the sofa. It definitely didn't help calm Yang's frantically beating heart that Blake looked so sexy when she did _anything_ casually.

Amber eyes flashed to Yang the instant she stepped into the room. Already sensing the overabundance of nerves, Blake willingly shared that knowledge with Yang - her ears swiveled forward and lowered, broadcasting clear concern and curiosity in Yang's sudden change in mood. It was an open invitation to start talking - to say whatever it was she needed to say.

And there _was_ something Yang needed to say, but she could hardly hear over her heart pounding in her ears.

Reaching out, she gently took one of Blake's hands while Blake stood from the sofa. Those amber eyes stared at Yang so hard, they hardly blinked - like Blake was trying to see right through her and read her thoughts. As if reading her heartbeat wasn't enough, now Blake wanted to read her mind.

"Yang?"

The soft question was the only request Blake would make, but it was more than enough to spur Yang into motion. Shuffling her feet, she took another deep breath and tried to calm herself down a little bit. If she was too jittery, her anxiety would make Blake edgy. That was the last thing Yang wanted to do right now, so she needed to do this quickly.

Which would be easier to do if she knew what to say.

Why did she think this would be so easy? It always looked easy on TV and in movies. The actors and actresses never practiced and hardly ever planned, but somehow the moment happened organically and perfectly.

What TV failed to make more obvious was how the _moment_ could be perfect, but it would be impossible to hear over your thundering heart, and your mouth would suddenly feel drier than a desert, and there would be the _small_ issue of being unable to string together a complete sentence.

Words - she needed words. The perfect words. Or any words, really. Perfection had already been thrown out the window.

Or just...talk to Blake like normal, idiot! Remember how amazing she is? How she makes every day better just by being there?

"Blake - "

Hearing her voice crack in the middle, Yang stopped and cleared her throat. When a hand squeezed hers - as always, offering silent reassurance when she needed it - she suddenly knew exactly what she wanted to say.

She'd waited so long to say this...and when she opened her mouth to put her deepest-rooted desire out in the open, she felt her nerves and anxiety melt away - disappearing into caring eyes that always held the answers to her prayers.

"Blake…" she began again, meeting Blake's eyes and feeling her heart swell with love and affection. "You're...you're my better half in so many ways. You helped Ruby regain her strength and confidence, you got Weiss back in our lives, you pushed me to be a better friend and sister. I...I couldn't have done any of this without you, and I don't want to do _anything_ without you for the rest of my life."

"I need you," she continued, her voice cracking again as a wave of unconditional love crashed over her. "I need you, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that. You're my strength, my courage, my confidence - my everything. I can't imagine life without you, and I never want to. And...and I know you said I didn't have to ask, but…"

Kneeling on the ground, Yang opened the small, velvet box and held it in her good hand while looking up into the amber eyes that were her beacons of hope.

"I'm hoping your answer is still yes...will you marry me?"

Blake instantly knelt down on the floor, clasping both hands around Yang's while looking into her eyes.

"Yes, Yang. Yes, of course I'll marry you."

The words had barely sunk in before Blake kissed her - a long, deep kiss that said more than words ever could. It was one of those moments when Blake poured her heart into an action, laying every bit of emotion to bare for Yang to greedily receive.

It was only when Blake pulled away that Yang laughed in pure, dumbfounded relief.

"You will?"

Blake nodded, smiling widely while her eyes shone with delight.

"I will."

The rumbles of happiness were back - and they were loud. Loud enough for Yang to hear over her elated heart. Laughing again, she stood and pulled Blake into a big hug – easily lifting her off the ground and spinning her in a full circle before setting her back down.

"This is for you then!" Yang said while trying to pull the ring out of the small box. Her damn fingers were jittering so much from the rush of excitement that she could hardly grab onto the tiny thing...and then when she finally popped it out, she promptly dropped it. Thankfully, a lithe hand snatched it out of the air before it even got close to the ground.

When Blake handed the ring back with a grin, Yang made sure to hold the little devil extra carefully in her good hand.

"Thank you…" she muttered in embarrassment before picking up Blake's right hand and gently slipping the ring onto her finger.

It was only a ring, but what it symbolized made Yang's heart beat about a thousand times per minute. It was only a ring...but it was also a promise that Blake was wearing for the entire world to see - all reservations aside.

"It looks good," Yang whispered, lifting Blake's hand and kissing the tips of her fingers.

"It does," Blake replied, her eyes sparkling joyfully. "I think it's supposed to be on the other hand though..."

"Oh dammit." Cursing herself, Yang gently removed the ring and placed on the proper hand. Blake laughed happily all the while, abundantly amused by Yang's nervous blunders.

"Are we good now?" Yang asked once the ring was re-set.

"We're great," Blake answered before pulling Yang into another kiss, one where she could feel Blake's lips still curled in a smile. The smile hadn't left her lips yet either - and it likely wouldn't anytime soon, growing even larger when she felt one of Blake's hands stray through her hair before running down her neck.

This time when Blake moved away, Yang followed - stealing several more kisses before Blake somehow managed to disengage and slipped her hand into Yang's. The hard metal band was a new sensation added to the familiarity of Blake's hand…but it was definitely a feeling Yang could get used to.

"Well, I think that was just about the worst proposal ever," she commented with a shake of her head.

"I think it was perfect."

"That's why _you're_ perfect."

The compliment made Blake blush ever so slightly, her eyes temporarily ducking Yang's grin before returning - just like they always did.

"I thought you wanted to wait for Weiss and Ruby to get married first though."

"See? How did you know that?" Yang asked in disbelief. She was one hundred percent certain she hadn't mentioned that to anyone except Weiss, but Blake merely shrugged and gave her one of those coy smiles.

"It just seemed like that would be the right time..."

"That was the plan," Yang answered before breaking into an even bigger smile. "But now they're gonna have to wait for us!"

When Blake smiled, Yang stepped forward for another hug - burying her face into waves of soft raven-colored hair. Feeling a hand weave into her own hair, she burrowed a little further and took a deep breath of home.

What had she been so nervous about?

"I love you," Blake sighed softly, more rumbles slipping out with each breath. Pulling a little ways away, Yang still held Blake close enough to feel the reverberations passing through their skin. No way were they going to be separating anytime soon...

"That's good cuz you just agreed to spend the rest of your life with me!" Pausing for a second, Yang chuckled before playfully adding, "All nine of them."

Blake laughed at the joke, which made Yang grin like an idiot. If anyone ever wondered why she made such a fool of herself trying to make jokes...they needed to look no further for an answer.

"Pretty sure I have less than nine now," Blake replied with a thoughtful expression, as if she was actually tallying them up.

"But I get whatever's left!"

The proclamation was met with a set of loving eyes.

"I already promised you, Yang," Blake whispered, her ears softening while her fingertips tucked a strand of hair behind Yang's ear. "You have everything that I am."

Everything.

That's all that Yang ever wanted from Blake. She knew that the desire was unrealistic, but it was fulfilled regardless. Each and every day, Blake willingly placated the uncontrollable, all-encompassing longing that had set up in Yang's heart the moment she laid eyes on her soon-to-be wife.

"You're incredible," Yang replied. "How did I ever convince you to date me, let alone marry me?"

The incredulity was real, but Blake shook her head in response.

"You're forgetting that _you're_ the incredible one."

"Am not! You're the one who's so thoughtful and compassionate and -" When Blake gently touched one finger to Yang's lips, her words cut off.

"Ok, we don't need to go through the whole list again."

Only when Blake lifted her finger away did Yang ask, "Are you sure? Sometimes I think you need reminding."

"Mm…" was Blake's distracted response, as her eyes were too busy glancing down at the newest addition to her ensemble. Heart warming substantially, Yang stepped closer so Blake would feel her presence and meet her eyes once more.

"If anyone deserves a happy ending, Blake, it's you. And I'm going to do my best to make it happen."

Yang made the promise as wholeheartedly as any promise she'd ever made, but Blake smiled and playfully rolled her eyes.

"You're such a romantic…"

"I have to be! Have you read the books you've read?"

Trying to hold a serious expression, Blake failed pretty miserably.

"Yes, I've read every single one of the books I've read."

"Ok, well they're all super romantic. I don't want you thinking those books are better than real life, so I've gotta step up my game."

Placing one hand on Yang's cheek, Blake slowly shook her head.

"Well, you're off to a good start."

With Blake's hand came the slightest sensation of cold from the ring - and the sudden realization that they were engaged. _Engaged_. They were going to get married!

"Oh! I gotta tell Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, patting her pockets and finding her scroll. After she pulled the device out, however, a gentle hand pushed it back down.

"Maybe we should tell them tomorrow. Let them settle in tonight - give them a little privacy."

"I hope you don't mean _that_ type of privacy."

"You mean the kind we suddenly have in abundance?" Blake replied with a wink.

In that single gesture, Blake recaptured Yang's full attention. Because one, Blake hardly winked. Two, when she _did_ wink, it was just about the most attractive thing ever.

"I hope you're not thinking about reading…" Yang said with a playful air of defeat, making Blake smile and shake her head.

While Yang lowered her scroll, however, it buzzed with a new message - from Ruby!

"Speak of the munchkin." Grinning at the picture on the screen, Yang showed Blake before opening the message and reading aloud, "She says…'Come over for dinner tomorrow. Weiss is teaching me how to make spaghetti!'"

Reading the message again, Yang smiled and looked up at Blake.

"Weiss makes good spaghetti, doesn't she?"

"Yes, but if I remember correctly, Ruby does not."

Chuckling at Blake's impeccable memory, Yang replied 'sounds fun' to Ruby's invitation before tossing her scroll onto the sofa.

"Let's hope Weiss stays more involved this time."

"You know..." Blake mused when Yang returned to her partner's orbit and set her hands on Blake's hips. "Dinner might be the perfect time to tell them."

"I like the way you think. Go over for dinner - surprise them with some big news!"

"That we're getting married."

When Blake said the words, Yang's heart jumped right out of her chest. Thankfully, Blake was right there to catch it - like she always was.

"We are," Yang managed to respond before lowering her voice. "I love you too, you know."

"I know, Yang."

"Good. Cuz I don't want you ever to wonder or anything -"

Again, Blake pressed a finger to Yang's lips to silence her concern. "I don't."

The succinct answer made Yang smile.

"Good."

The two of them had gone through their own share of difficulties, but now they'd reached this point of absolute certainty. No matter what happened, no matter how crazy the world became, they trusted in each other completely.

"We're going to have to train more, you realize," Blake suddenly remarked, the words making Yang sigh and lean forward to gently touch her forehead to Blake's.

"I know...Ruby's getting scary good."

"And they're going to want to spar again soon," Blake added. "Our last victory probably left a bad taste in Weiss' mouth...so unless you want them to demolish us, I'd suggest we knock a bit of rust off some of our moves."

"Oh?" Sliding one hand down Blake's back, Yang winked. "Then what do you say we practice some of those moves right now?"

Blake rolled her eyes, but allowed Yang to leave a trail of kisses on her neck.

"You're unbelievable."

"Why thank you," Yang mumbled, kissing along Blake's jaw before finding her lips.

"Aren't you supposed to be upset about your sister moving out?" Blake asked after briefly breaking away.

"Oh yes, poor Ruby," Yang said facetiously. "Living in a huge house with a princess waiting on her hand and foot."

"Well you got over that fast…"

"You've convinced me she'll be fine! Plus, I have a princess of my own I'd like to sweep off her feet."

On cue, Yang reached down and scooped Blake up into her arms.

By now, Blake was so used to the random gestures that she didn't even flinch. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Yang's neck - and her eyes flickered to her left hand, where the engagement ring cast a small glitter when it passed under the light.

Grinning like mad, Yang lifted Blake closer for another kiss that they held until they needed to come up for air.

They were going to get married. They were going to have a wedding - that hopefully Weiss would help plan. It was going to be picture perfect, like something out of a book. _Which_ book was the question...

"Maybe Weiss can get the AchieveMen to play at our wedding," Blake commented, raising an eyebrow at the suggestion.

"Can I marry you right now?"

When Blake laughed, Yang kissed her again and walked towards their bedroom.

After all this time, Blake still found ways to surprise her. And impress her. There were moments when she watched in awe and thought, 'wow, that's my partner.' Whether it was some crazy combat move or an incredible display of compassion, Blake constantly expanded upon what it meant to be a good - no, great - person.

Yang had known for a while now that they'd spend the rest of their lives together, but now that the promise was explicitly made - in the form of a symbol Blake would wear…

She'd never been happier.

This morning, Ruby and Weiss embarked on a new journey - one that would have the two lovebirds writing their happy ending a second time around.

Now Yang and Blake could start living their own.


	48. Chapter 48

**A big THANK YOU to everyone who's made it this far! Thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows, discussions - in general, thank you for the support! Can't believe this story has come to a close, but I guess it's time to move on to others. I'll have another story starting up very soon, so keep an eye out for that.**

 **In other news - if you're a fan of Rush, check out my Tumblr for a little announcement regarding that story. (My tumblr is the same as here - mikotyzini)**

 **Also, if you _really_ liked this story, I wrote over 70k words of commentary about it for my patrons - if you're interested, you can find details in my bio.**

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Hearing a familiar ringing from the center console, Weiss spared a glance at the screen to see who was calling. When Yang's picture popped into view, she jabbed the accept button before returning her gaze to the road.

"Hello Yang."

"What's up, Weiss? Woah, you driving?"

"Heading home."

"What's the rush then? Why did I have to call 'right away?'"

Taking a deep breath, Weiss directed the vehicle around a corner while trying to find the proper words for what she wanted to say.

"I don't want to wait anymore," she said slowly, calling upon the determination that swept over her mere minutes ago and had only grown in intensity since. "I want to ask Ruby to marry me. Today. That is, if I still have your permission."

Yang's joyful laughter was an answer in itself - and Weiss felt immediately relieved while waiting for the teasing she knew was on the way.

"Holy Grimm - what were you gonna do if I said 'no?'"

"I had more than a few backup plans - beginning with several means of bribery and continuing to vague threats."

"Bribery? Damn. I bet you were gonna offer something good too…"

"Can we get back to the important matter here?" Weiss asked as a spike of nerves trembled through her veins. She was driving, which meant that every second Yang wasted with jokes brought Weiss closer to the home she shared with the love of her life. Which brought her closer to the conversation she knew she wanted to have but was scared out of her mind to have.

"Right right. This is about you and Ruby, not the treasure chest of gold you were about to bribe me with to buy my little sister."

"Yang."

Any annoyance Weiss felt disintegrated at the sound of Yang's laughter.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Yang finally answered with some level of seriousness. "And of course you still have my permission. I can't wait for us to be sisters for real."

They were practically sisters already, but Weiss understood the sentiment. After everything they'd been through and everything they'd yet to go through, it would be incredible to be tied together by a label that ran deeper than 'best friends' or 'teammates.'

"Have you figured out how you're gonna ask?"

"It's Ruby…" Weiss replied, suffering another surge of nerves at the idea of asking this one particular question. "I've thought of several different points I'd like to make, but otherwise I'll…wing it."

"Now you sound like me."

"An unfortunate side effect of spending too much time with you," Weiss retorted, taking comfort in their usual banter while slowing the vehicle to a crawl that was surely meant to delay her arrival home.

"You're nervous, aren't you."

Sighing loudly, she both loved and hated that Yang could read her so well.

"I know I want this. But there's no guarantee she'll say yes."

"Other than the fact that she will say yes."

"You don't know -"

"Come on, Weiss. Ruby adores you more than anything in the world. Except me, of course, but this isn't a competition."

When Weiss rolled her eyes, Yang laughed as if she'd seen the reaction.

"She's going to say yes. Hasn't she made it obvious like a billion times that she wants to be with you for eternity?"

"Yes…"

"Then you have nothing to worry about! Come on, Weiss - act like you've done this before!"

"Thanks for the pep talk," Weiss grumbled, tightly clutching the steering wheel before relaxing her hands.

"Ok, how about this - the next time I see you two, I'll blurt out something like 'you're engaged!' or 'congrats on getting engaged!' That way you've gotta ask her soon."

"Or never see you again," Weiss countered.

"Ha ha."

"But that...might work."

It was a deadline - one Weiss had no control over once agreed to. No matter what happened, Yang would follow through with her end of the bargain. Even if Weiss had a legitimate reason for postponing, Yang wouldn't accept a delay. Someone could start dropping Grimm into the city, and Yang would only say that Weiss should've asked sooner.

Basically…now she had to ask, or risk Yang spilling the beans for her.

"It's just like this new plan I have for Blake," Yang whispered excitedly. "She ignores us when she gets a new book, right? Well this time, I read the last few chapters - so if she starts ignoring me, I can spoil the ending for her!"

"Yang!" Weiss heard shouted from the background, along with a nearly audible cringe on Yang's part.

"You're in trouble now," Weiss replied with an amused smile.

"Damn, I didn't even know she was in the house," Yang said quietly. "I'm totally kidding, Blake!" she then yelled away from the phone. "I would never threaten to ruin one of your books! I know how important those are to you!"

When Weiss didn't hear a response, she chuckled and shook her head.

"You're in so much trouble," she reiterated while waiting patiently at a stoplight - far more patiently than she was usually capable of waiting. But traffic didn't bother her right now. In fact, the more traffic, the better.

"Don't worry - she can't stay mad at me for long," Yang joked before a short moment of static cut through the call. "Blake! Guess what?" she yelled away from the phone. "Weiss is gonna ask Ruby to marry her!"

With the attention shifted back to her, Weiss sighed and listened to several seconds of rustling before Blake's voice came through.

"Are you really?" Blake asked - whatever annoyance she felt towards Yang not translating to Weiss.

"Yes. Right now. Or...whenever I get home and find the courage."

"If she doesn't do it, I get to spill the beans the next time I see them!" Yang said from the background, followed by Blake's amused chuckle.

"Sounds like you have to ask then. Are you nervous?"

"What do you think?"

Blake laughed again, the happy sound making Weiss smile regardless of the nerves fluttering in her chest.

"We all know what her answer will be, Weiss," Blake said encouragingly. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"I really hope you're right…" Weiss muttered under her breath while her pulse began to increase. The city streets had given way to neighborhoods...and the houses within those neighborhoods were growing more and more familiar with each passing block.

"I should probably get going," she said, regretting the words as soon as they popped into existence.

"Oh, you're almost there?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Here - Yang is better at pep talks -" The scroll rustled again as Blake handed the device back to Yang, and Weiss braced herself for whatever was coming next.

"You can do this, Weiss! You kinda have to do it, or I'm gonna do it for you. Do you really want me to ask Ruby to marry you? I mean, I will, but then I'll keep bringing it up for the rest of our lives."

"Is that the best you have?" Weiss teased.

The threat of Yang telling Ruby was more than enough encouragement, but that didn't mean Weiss was going to pass up the opportunity to tease her hopefully future sister-in-law. Pestering Yang was normal - and normal helped Weiss ignore the budding nerves as she turned onto a familiar street and passed familiar homes of neighbors she was passively familiar with.

"I'd think of something better, but I kinda have my own hole to dig out of here. Which, Blake, you look absolutely stunning today. Like, wow. Or should I say - me-wow."

The terrible joke made Weiss shake her head in disbelief.

Just when she thought Yang couldn't dig herself any deeper…

"Yeah, Weiss, I gotta go," Yang hurriedly whispered into the phone. "This situation might call for some hands-on apologies. But let me know how it goes - as soon as you ask!"

"I will."

The words had hardly left Weiss' mouth before the call cut to silence. Gripping the steering wheel, she took a deep breath before letting it out through clenched teeth.

Schnees weren't nervous people, but she was a tad apprehensive - a feeling that only grew when she saw her destination up ahead.

For the briefest moment, she considered driving past their driveway and taking a detour around the block. Maybe several detours. They needed more ice cream, didn't they? Ruby ate the last of the Smushed Grimm the night before. It would be a thoughtful gesture if Weiss went and picked up more.

"No, you're not stalling," she scolded herself while forcing her arms to turn the vehicle towards the drive.

Procrastinating was also something Schnees never did. Although, if she were to really get into the minutia of what it meant to be a 'Schnee' according to her father, she might realize just how ill-suited she was to carry the mantle…

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about her dear father, however. Now was the time to focus on her future. At least, the future she hoped to build.

Parking the car in front of the house she loved more and more every day, she stared at the front door instead of getting out.

If she was a Schnee, she would never admit that she was so nervous that her hands trembled. If she was a Schnee, her heart wouldn't pound so loudly in her ears that she could hardly hear anything else.

Then again, if she was a Schnee, she never would have found happiness to begin with.

Grabbing a small, blue bag from the passenger seat, she left the vehicle behind in favor of heading to the front door. Tapping in four fast digits, she found herself walking into the clean foyer seconds later.

Well, the moderately clean foyer.

Only one of Ruby's boots had made it entirely into the hall closet, while the other was caught in the door. A candy wrapper lay on the entryway table, and a line of petals led upstairs.

Weiss didn't fight the smile that crept onto her lips while she picked the wrapper off of the table and crumpled it in one hand. The mess was comforting...which was shocking considering the life she'd once known. But the days of her childhood felt like another world now, so far removed from her current reality.

The petals would be cleaned up later. Right now, they led her towards the piece of her heart she'd been missing on the short trip she made to pick up the item in her hands.

Setting the bag on the side table and pulling out a square, velvety box from inside, she tossed the wrapper aside before following the trail of roses towards their bedroom.

Whenever someone asked how she dealt with the superfluous amounts of petals, she pretended to be modestly annoyed by the near-constant inconvenience. However...how many girls were lucky enough to come home to a trail of rose petals every day?

Creeping towards the bedroom door while turning the small box over and over in her hands, Weiss felt her nerves loudly announcing themselves. And with the nerves came her attempts to logically talk herself out of her determination.

There was no reason to rush - they were already together. Why hurry when that might only cause a fracture in what was already wonderful to begin with? They were happy - that was more than enough.

Only it wasn't. Over the past few weeks and months, the overwhelming desire for more had grown into a compelling need. They were partners for life - and Weiss wanted to set that promise in stone.

Keeping her footsteps soft, she gently pushed open their bedroom door and searched inside. Her eyes immediately landed on Ruby - causing a cascade of both joy and butterflies to swirl through her chest.

Ruby was currently searching for something in one of the bedside tables, kneeling on the floor while pulling out stacks of books and magazines. Each one was quickly flipped through before tossed onto the floor behind her - and the action caused a sense of deja vu to sweep over Weiss.

This was so familiar yet different at the same time…

Still determined, Weiss crept closer while holding the box behind her back. Each breath she took, she let out in a quiet, steady exhale while listening to the pounding of her heart in her ears.

This wasn't as big of a deal as she was making it. They already made this promise to each other - this was just...putting the cherry on top. There was no reason for her heart to pound in her chest or her palms to grow clammy while clasped behind her. And there was certainly no reason for the extraordinarily dry desert that had taken temporary residence in her mouth.

Licking her lips, she tried to remember the talking points she came up with at the jeweler. But details and specifics eluded her at this moment - all she knew was that this was what she wanted. Because they loved each other - despite the odds.

Growing closer, she could hear Ruby muttering under her breath but couldn't make out the words. When a magazine was casually tossed backward, nearly hitting Weiss if she hadn't stepped out of the way in time, her anxiety gave way to a smattering of curiosity.

What was Ruby searching for?

Holding the small box in one hand, Weiss was able to walk right up to Ruby - who was still unaware of her presence. Leaning closer, she inhaled the scent of roses and smiled before placing her mouth right beside Ruby's ear.

"What are you looking for?" she whispered.

Squealing in surprise, Ruby jumped to her feet and spun around in a flurry of petals. Not expecting such a response, Weiss stepped backward to avoid their heads knocking together - only to feel her foot suddenly sliding on a slippery magazine cover. Yelping when her balance was lost, she threw her hands outward in an attempt to catch herself as she fell - but a pair of strong arms suddenly appeared behind her back and held her steady.

Heart pounding, Weiss suddenly found herself looking into silver eyes while Ruby gently lifted her back to her feet.

"I'm so sorry!" Ruby said, apology pouring from her in waves. "I had no idea you were there! And then someone whispered in my ear and I just freaked out because I thought it might be a ghost or something and -"

"It's alright." Raising one hand to cut off Ruby's rambling apology, Weiss touched her fingers to her pounding heart before planting a grateful kiss on Ruby's lips. "Thank you for catching me."

The small action was enough to light a smile on Ruby's lips and clear away any regret.

"Of course! You know I'll always be there to catch you! Unless like...I'm really far away. But I'm pretty fast!"

Shaking her head at the answer, Weiss heard a soft giggle slip past her lips.

Ruby had this way of being extraordinarily romantic and then ruining it when she thought it through too much. Although to Weiss, it was never ruined at all - it was all part of Ruby's ceaseless charm.

Suddenly realizing that her hands were empty, Weiss spun away from Ruby and scoured the floor for the box she must've dropped during her unexpected fall. Spotting it on the floor several feet way - almost entirely underneath the bed - she made only one step towards it before Ruby spotted it and disappeared in a flutter of petals.

"You dropped this...little box!" When Ruby held it up to eye level and looked at it, Weiss quickly snatched it from her hands.

"It's cute! What's it do?"

"It doesn't do anything," Weiss remarked with a blush while moving it out of Ruby's sight.

This couldn't have started more horribly. She lost the element of surprise and Ruby had now seen the box - which was very obviously a ring box.

"So it's just...a box that does nothing?" Ruby asked, her brow furrowing like that answer wasn't at all satisfying.

"That's correct."

Did Ruby seriously not know what this type of box was for? Bless her soul...maybe Weiss still had a chance at following this through. That is, if her nerves weren't completely shot from the unexpected beginning of her attempt.

"What are you looking for?" she asked again to change the subject.

If she was still going to do this, she needed time to regain a bit of her courage first...

"Oh!" Ruby's eyes widened when she remembered her task and forgot everything else entirely. "I remember you telling me we had a photo of everyone from graduation. I want to use it to make a super secret gift that I can't tell you about right now!"

"A gift?" Weiss asked, although she wouldn't pry any further than that. Officially, she hated surprises. Unofficially...she loved when Ruby created something extraordinarily thoughtful and surprised her with it.

"Well it's not in there," she continued before Ruby spilled the beans on this latest gift. Pushing the pile of magazines out of the way, Weiss knelt beside the bed and hid the ring box next to her leg. Only then did she reach underneath the bed and pull out a photo box. "It's in here."

Removing the lid, she looked at the dates written along the spines of several packages before finding one that had 'graduation' written beside it. Removing the stack of photographs, she only flipped through a handful before finding the one Ruby was talking about.

Velvet had taken the photo right after the official graduation ceremony ended. The four of them were beaming with joy - Yang had her arms thrown around Weiss and Blake's shoulders, and Ruby was holding Weiss' hand. Seeing their happiness - so youthful and energetic - made a smile appear on Weiss' lips automatically. They were naive, sure, but somehow they maintained their happiness through all of the ups and downs they'd suffered through.

"Here it is," she said, holding the photo out to Ruby. Ruby's eyes twinkled in delight as she looked it over.

"Everyone looks so happy...and look at you! Look how cute you are!"

Weiss blushed at the compliment.

"That was a great day," she said before clearing her throat and setting the lid halfway back on the box. "You'll put it back when you're done with it?"

"Of course! Don't I always put stuff back?"

"Hardly ever," Weiss replied with a chuckle before grabbing the ring box and standing. "But before you dive into that, what would you like for dinner?"

"Spaghetti!"

Why did Weiss even bother asking that question? She should've seen the answer coming from a mile away. Ruby's obsession with spaghetti was...weird...but in a quirky and slightly adorable way. However...

"You can't have spaghetti every night," Weiss replied with a shake of her head.

"Why not?"

"Because you need more nutrition than that!"

"No I don't!"

When Weiss pursed her lips at the incorrect response, Ruby instantly caved and waved her hands. "Ok, ok. How about...meatloaf?"

"Meatloaf?" Weiss asked in surprise. They'd never, ever made meatloaf.

"Yeah!" As Ruby answered, she hopped in excitement. "And maybe we could cut it up into little bites and dump them in some tomato sauce. And add some noodles!"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss understood Ruby's little ploy - as if her twinkling silver eyes hadn't given it away.

"So almost like spaghetti," Weiss remarked dryly. Ruby tried to look surprised by the revelation, widening her eyes and dropping her jaw.

"No way! I hadn't thought of it like that!" she said before grinning. "I guess it kinda would be like spaghetti, but actually meatloaf."

Resigned to their fate - another dinner of noodles and sauce - Weiss sighed and shook her head.

"If we have spaghetti tonight, will you promise to eat something else tomorrow?"

An adorable little pledge was enough of an answer to her.

"Come on then," she said while heading towards the kitchen, leaving the mess on the bedroom floor behind to be cleaned up later.

"So…" Ruby began, trailing Weiss to the staircase. "That little box you have…"

"Yes?"

Weiss' heart immediately jumped into her throat while she waited for Ruby to catch on to what it was.

"What're you gonna do with it?"

The question was a relief - one that made Weiss smile while listening to the sound of Ruby dropping from step to step behind her.

"I'm not sure yet," she hedged, keeping the box firmly out of Ruby's view. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering...if it doesn't do anything and if you're not going to use it...then maybe I could have it?"

"And what would you do with it?"

"I dunno, but I'd make it do something!"

Pretending to sigh in exasperation while internally racing through her options, Weiss quickly opened the box in front of her - out of Ruby's line of sight - and pulled out the ring. Hiding the small object in her left hand, she snapped the box closed when they reached the bottom of the stairs and held it out to Ruby.

"No explosions," she ordered, pulling the box out of reach when Ruby didn't immediately reply.

"Right!" Ruby said with several nods, her eyes hardly leaving the box in Weiss' hands. "No explosions! Got it."

Satisfied with that answer, Weiss handed the box over and calmly (but not at all calmly) slipped the ring into her front pocket.

This wasn't going at all like she'd imagined. Now Ruby had seen the box and actually had the box in her possession. What if she suddenly realized what it was for?

Glancing over, Weiss watched Ruby open and close the lid several times. Fortunately, she was wearing that look - the one that was taking something apart and putting it back together multiple times. The expression meant Ruby was analyzing her newest project in utmost detail - scouring for ideas as to how she could turn it into some type of weapon.

This version of Ruby was highly unlikely to land on something as mundane as 'box to hold engagement ring.' 'Box to hold highly-weaponized combat ring,' maybe. Engagement ring, no.

Regardless, Weiss felt a small bit of relief when they walked into the kitchen and Ruby willingly abandoned the box on the island in favor of scavenging through the cupboards for a box of noodles. The next few moments offered a sense of normalcy as they fell into a routine that had been perfected a hundred times over.

Ruby was in charge of gathering everything they needed - from the noodles, to the sauce ingredients, to the salt and pepper. While she blazed around collecting those items, Weiss started on the sauce. Then Ruby would start the water.

It was an intricate dance of sorts - one that they perfected after making more spaghetti than Weiss ever thought possible in a lifetime. As was the case with their combat strategies, there was a particular flow to making dinner which developed and adapted until they were left with this - flawless execution.

Maybe Weiss shouldn't brag about how well they made dinner together but…they made one hell of a team in the kitchen - just like they did in battle.

Setting the sauce to simmer and covering it with a lid, she'd just emptied an entire box of noodles into the boiling water when she heard her scroll chime. Setting everything down and walking over to the counter to pick up the device, she found a message from Yang.

'Did you do it yet?'

Flipping the scroll over, Weiss ignored the message.

No, Yang, she hadn't 'done it' yet. After dinner was a better time - that's when Ruby would be happy and content. If only they had ice cream…then Ruby would be extra content…

"What's with the face?" Ruby asked from her perch on one of the stools. "Was it one of those advertising messages again? I can't stand those! I get all excited that someone messaged me, and it's just a dang ad."

"If you stopped signing up for so many newsletters, you'd stop getting messages all the time," Weiss replied while playfully tapping Ruby on the forehead. "And no, it was just your sister."

"Just my sister," Ruby repeated with a grin. "She'd be so upset if she heard you say that."

Smiling, Weiss was about to walk back to the stove when Ruby gasped.

"Oh! You should call your sister!" Ruby reminded her. When she reached towards the scroll, Weiss lunged forward and snatched it away.

"I'll do it after dinner," she said while slipping her scroll into her pocket - her heart hammering in her chest while she tried to nonchalantly stir the noodles in the water.

Ruby wouldn't have intentionally read the message, but what if it stayed open on the screen?

"No no no. I've heard that before," Ruby replied, thankfully not questioning Weiss' reaction. "Then we'll get busy and you won't call her!" Standing up and walking over to Weiss, Ruby pointed to the timer. "We have a few minutes until the noodles are ready. You can call her real quick!"

Sensing that Ruby wasn't going to let the subject drop, Weiss huffed in pretend exasperation but handed the ladle to Ruby and fished the scroll back out.

"Fine," she said, stepping over to the island and clicking on Winter's contact information. "She's probably busy anyway," she remarked - right as the call connected.

"Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Winter asked, and Weiss practically heard the smirk on her sister's lips.

"Tell her I said 'hi!'" Ruby called from the stove.

"Ah - Ruby got you to call me again, I see," Winter replied with an amused chuckle. "She's very helpful. I'll have to think of something nice to get her…"

"I knew it," Weiss said when her long-held suspicion was confirmed to be true. "You've been bribing her."

"'Bribe' implies that I offered her a reward in exchange for some action from her - I've done no such thing. But if she's already made the gesture of her own accord, shouldn't I be able to make one in return?"

The tactful response made Weiss narrow her eyes.

"So basically, you're training her."

Winter's laugh was the only answer Weiss needed.

In many instances, Ruby behaved like a puppy - and giving her rewards for good behavior was an effortless way to compel her to do something she wouldn't ordinarily do. Weiss had used this method several times herself, but she never thought it would be used against her.

In Weiss' defense, she only came up with the idea after watching Yang literally lure Ruby to the dentist using a package of chocolate chip cookies. It was utterly counterintuitive but highly effective.

"Make sure to tell her 'hello' from me too," Winter added.

"Winter says 'hello,'" Weiss directed towards Ruby before focusing her attention on the call. "But yes, she reminded me that I haven't called in quite some time - how have you been?"

"Everything has been running smoothly as of late."

"Good to hear…" Weiss mumbled while her gaze returned Ruby - watching her stir the noodles and then stare into the pot of boiling water.

Just watching Ruby made Weiss' heart speed up, which might seem like a normal reaction, but tonight it was far more intense than usual.

She had to ask tonight, but with the perfect moment already destroyed, the question was when.

"Weiss?"

"Yes?" she immediately replied, tearing her gaze away from Ruby in order to focus on the call. "Sorry, what was that?"

"You seem uncharacteristically distracted right now -"

"Oh. Right. It's nothing. Ruby and I are in the middle of making dinner, so I'm a little...distracted, yes."

When Ruby glanced over and smiled, Weiss made a motion with her hand as if Winter was the one who didn't understand what was going on.

"I see...then your lack of focus has nothing to do with a certain question you've been compelled to ask tonight?"

"What?" Weiss yelped, her attention now solely upon her sister's way-too-pleased chuckle. "How do you know that?"

"I spoke to a rather-delighted teammate of yours right before you called."

Weiss groaned at the response.

"She already called you?"

"At least someone keeps me in the loop," Winter playfully retorted. "I'm guessing from your current nerves that you haven't asked yet?"

Clearing her throat and flashing a smile when Ruby glanced her way again, Weiss tried to control her emotions so she didn't give anything away.

"We're making dinner right now. Maybe...after."

"You shouldn't worry too much, Weiss. If she looks at the situation logically, the two of you are a very compatible match."

"That's...not at all helpful."

"Well you can't say I didn't try -"

"Weiss," Ruby whispered before gesturing towards the timer, which was about to go off.

"I need to finish with dinner," Weiss said quickly. "I'll call you again soon to discuss...whatever happens."

"Please do. Or else I'll expect another call from Yang…"

Rolling her eyes, Weiss said, "I'll make sure to call first. Have a good night."

"Good luck, Weiss."

Dropping the call and abandoning her scroll on the island, Weiss made her way over to where Ruby was tending the noodles.

"Are they done?"

Ruby hastily waved Weiss over to try a single noodle she fished from the pot. Carefully pulling it off the spoon, Weiss bit off the end and nodded.

"Those are perfect," she said, turning off the burner while Ruby did an adorable fist pump in success.

"I might suck at cooking, but I can time a perfect noodle!"

"You're very helpful," Weiss added, lifting the lid off of the simmering sauce and giving it a good stir. "Are you ready to eat?"

"That's a question with only one answer!"

Laughing at the expected response, Weiss gestured towards the cabinets. "Get some bowls then."

Brushing several rose petals away before they landed in the sauce, Weiss accepted bowls from Ruby before serving two steaming helpings of noodles topped with a heaping spoonful of sauce - for Ruby. For herself, she dolled out a more moderate portion and then headed over to take a seat at the island. Ruby was already digging into her meal, making happy sounds while she ate.

Even though a small dining table sat in the corner of the kitchen, they rarely used it. Ruby preferred to eat at the island - maybe because they were still in the heart of the kitchen. This was especially useful when Weiss was still cooking because then Ruby was in perfect position to steal a taste while the meal was being prepared.

"Happy now?" Weiss asked before taking her first bite.

"You have no idea!" Ruby answered before shoving another huge forkful into her mouth and giving Weiss a thumbs up.

Smiling to herself, Weiss watched Ruby demolish dinner while something akin to pride stirred in her chest.

Learning how to cook might've been one of the most worthwhile endeavors she ever undertook, with dividends paid out daily. Of course, most of her expertise went unused since Ruby hardly ever wanted anything other than spaghetti…but, as they say, it's the thought that counts.

"Any idea when we're going out again?" Weiss asked after several moments passed without a word.

She learned a long time ago that if she didn't initiate conversation, their dinner could quickly end without Ruby speaking anything outside of making noises of content. A good question or two created a pause between Ruby's ravenous eating, which in turn prevented her from getting a stomach ache from eating too fast. As an intended side effect, Weiss would also be blessed with a few enjoyable dinner conversations to participate in.

"Mm!" Ruby answered before hastily swallowing the bite in her mouth. "I was talking to Professor Ozpin about that - we're in a holding pattern for a bit while he searches for more information. Why? You wanna pick up a hunt while we wait?"

"More Taijitus?" Weiss teased before shaking her head. "I was only curious. I have no problem waiting. In fact, it'll be nice to have a few extra days together."

What she didn't say but thought to herself,was that the extra time would allow them to celebrate properly. Or for her to mourn properly…

"We've been out there too much as it is," she commented, turning back to her food in feigned nonchalance. "How many has it been? Five in the past two weeks?"

"I don't remember, but a lot!"

While Ruby said the words, she grinned like the answer was pleasing in some way. To her, it probably was. She was extremely proud of everything their team had accomplished and was in the process of accomplishing. As she should be - at this moment, it felt like there was no limit to what they could do. If they trained hard enough and studied diligently enough, they would continue to improve. And with Ruby at the helm, they were always striving for something. That was just one of the many traits Weiss adored about her partner - the constant, never-ending, ceaseless quest for progress.

"Your memory concerns me sometimes," Weiss joked while Ruby approached the end of her plate of food.

"It's been such a whirlwind though! Beowolves and Death Stalkers and Nevermores and lonely little Boarbatusks and whatever that freaking thing was we saw in that lake - pretty soon the Grimm kinda blur together into one big ball of black." Sticking another forkful of noodles into her mouth, Ruby chewed and swallowed before pointing her fork towards Weiss. "I get your point though. I think my brain's regressing - can't remember what happened yesterday!"

"That's even more concerning because we went to the parts store yesterday," Weiss replied with an amused smile that only grew more amused when Ruby gasped.

"That was yesterday! Wow, that place is so awesome...I want one of everything there. No idea what I'd do with all that stuff but just to have it…"

While Ruby's eyes unfocused and she absentmindedly ate the last of her dinner - dreaming about bits of metal and rolls of wire - Weiss made a mental note of the idea. Ruby's birthday would roll around eventually, and what better way to take some of the stress out of planning than by having her gift already settled upon?

But why only one of everything? Why not two of everything? Or ten? Actually...why not have one of the companies come in and stock Ruby's workshop to the brim with new materials? And, if Weiss played her cards right, she might also be able to convince a certain older Schnee to donate the latest and greatest in Dust technology.

Now that was a gift worth giving Ruby.

It was great that Weiss had Ruby's next birthday gift planned but no idea what to do about the present matter at hand - namely, the not-so-small question she wanted to ask tonight.

Why had she told Yang? The moment she placed the call, she'd known she was stepping across the point of no return. Yang was great at ultimatums as long as they didn't involve her - and with Weiss especially.

If Weiss didn't ask soon, Yang would tell. It was only through this absolute certainty that Weiss felt compelled to follow through. Backing out wasn't an option now – although she could potentially convince Ruby to go on an impromptu trip to Mistral or something…then they wouldn't see Yang again for the foreseeable future…

"Remnant to Weiss - come in, Weiss."

Jarred from her thoughts, Weiss blinked when a hand waved in front of her face.

"Yes?" she asked, the question making Ruby laugh.

"I asked if you were done!" Ruby repeated while gesturing to Weiss' plate. "Let me do the dishes tonight!"

"Oh, yes. Yes, I'm done."

The words hardly appeared before Weiss' bowl disappeared and Ruby rushed to the sink. Swiveling in the chair to follow Ruby's progress, Weiss briefly patted her pocket to make sure the ring was still there. It was - the thin metal outline hardly discernible to an outside observer yet burning like an ember in her pocket.

Watching Ruby do the dishes - water flying everywhere from how fast she moved - Weiss felt her heart steadily climbing into her throat.

Dinner was over. Ruby was happy and content. Soon the dishes would be finished and Ruby would fly back to Weiss for a kiss. And then - and then she could ask.

It didn't need to be a huge ordeal. It didn't need to be some huge spectacle or event. It was simply a small question - only a few words. The only real issue was the life-altering answer...

As soon as the faucet turned off, Ruby disappeared from the sink and reappeared by Weiss' side.

"Thanks for dinner," she quipped before kissing Weiss' cheek and bouncing away. "Think I'll do some training stuff now - wanna come?"

So distracted by her other thoughts, Weiss was already shaking her head before a proper response formed in her mind.

"I think...there are a few things I'd like to work on first," she answered, swallowing in an attempt to rid the desert from her mouth.

"You sure?"

When Ruby tilted her head, Weiss knew that she finally said something peculiar enough to pique Ruby's interest. It was unusual for her to turn down the opportunity to work with Ruby in the combat room. In fact, she couldn't remember a single instance when she turned down that offer since they moved in…

"It won't be long," she added in an attempt to soothe Ruby's curiosity. "There's just...something I'm trying to work on."

"Oh, ok." Moderately disappointed but accepting the answer, Ruby headed into the entryway.

Shooting out of her seat, Weiss quickly followed. Now would be the time - before Ruby started running through simulations for who knew how long. Depending on what Ruby was trying to accomplish, she could be downstairs for the rest of the night working on different strategies, and once she got going on something, it was difficult to pull her mind off of it. The last thing Weiss wanted was for Ruby to be distracted or sidetracked when asking this question.

"How 'bout I wait for you?" Ruby offered, stopping underneath the chandelier and giving Weiss a hopeful smile that melted her heart.

Ruby could've easily become the best solo huntress Remnant had ever seen, yet she chose to devote herself to her team - and to Weiss. In many ways, they slowed her down, but she never showed any regret or impatience at waiting for everyone to be on the same page.

It might be a simple thing - waiting for Weiss to be ready to train - but it was another small sacrifice Ruby was willing to make in the name of teamwork.

They were all incredibly fortunate to have a leader like Ruby...

"Then I'll meet you down there," Weiss answered with a smile that Ruby returned tenfold.

"Yes! Take your time though – I don't mind!" Without another word, Ruby jumped once and would've raced away had Weiss not reached out to stop her.

"Wait!" Weiss called out a little too urgently, immediately retracting her hand and attempting to regain a fraction of her composure. "Before you do that - I, uh, I was wondering if we could talk."

Turning back to Weiss, Ruby smiled.

"Sure! What's up?"

As silver eyes waited expectantly, Weiss listened to the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

This was supposed to be easy. So why was it so nerve-wracking to imagine putting those words out into the world?

"I…" she began, meeting Ruby's eyes before shying away. "It's...it's nothing. I'll meet you downstairs in a bit."

When she spun towards the staircase to make an abrupt retreat, a hand appeared on her arm and stopped her.

"Woah, woah, woah! I'm super curious now!" With Ruby's hand gently pulling at her elbow, Weiss turned around and found herself caught in a curious gaze.

Of all the nerve-wracking things she'd ever done, these moments made her more nervous than the rest of them combined. Unfortunately, now that Ruby had caught on that something was afoot, she wouldn't let the matter drop so easily. Sure, Weiss could come up with a distraction that would work, but did she want to? Did she want to lose her courage once again? Did she want to spend another night cursing herself for losing the resolve to move their relationship forward?

The answer was, most assuredly, no. No, she didn't want to keep waiting. She didn't want to make more excuses to the jeweler about how the ring needed to be re-sized, re-fitted, re-seated, re-anything. She was ready to take the next step...finally. Maybe she hadn't waited that long, but it felt like she'd waited more than enough.

"You really want to know?" she asked, narrowing her eyes while trying to read Ruby's mind.

"Yes!"

"Alright…" Taking a deep breath, Weiss was about to speak when she caught sight of their current surroundings. Did she want to do this here...in the entryway? Ruby wouldn't mind because she loved every bit of this house, but if there was a better place...somewhere a little more magical...

Looking around the entryway, Weiss caught sight of the door heading downstairs, and an idea sprang into her mind.

"Let's head downstairs."

With nothing more than an "Ok!" Ruby willingly followed Weiss to the stairwell, forgoing the railing in favor of walking by her side down to the basement of the home.

Weiss had tried the banister once. It was extremely uncouth, but an inordinate amount of fun. She definitely understood why Ruby enjoyed it so much.

Once they reached the bottom of the staircase, Weiss watched the lights click on in rapid succession above the combat floor. It was an effect Ruby had designed herself - a 'cool' feature that lended well to the aesthetic of such a technologically-advanced room.

Leading them over to the room's 'brain,' Weiss tapped the screen to wake it up.

"Choose your favorite map," she instructed Ruby. "But no Grimm."

"A challenge!" Ruby quipped before furrowing her brow and tapping through the menus. "My favorite though? Hmmm…"

A few minutes later, Ruby made a selection and set the room to non-combat. The stark white panels in front of them briefly shimmered before dark green evergreen trees materialized from thin air. With the trees came snow-dusted branches and a thick layer of powdery snow covering the ground, causing the panels to disappear from view. The soft hum of vents clicking on could be heard while the air grew cold with an artificial chill that caused Weiss' breath to billow from her lips.

Taking in the familiar winter wonderland that had sprung up in front of them, Weiss smiled.

This was a little more magical – and an environment that was special to them both.

"Let's go," she said softly, taking Ruby's hand and guiding them through the dense trees towards the small clearing that would be in the very center.

Picking her way between the tree trunks, Weiss allowed her eyes to wander. Absent of Beowolves or Grimm of any kind, the environment was peaceful and beautiful. The trees had been placed with care and attention to detail. The snow drifted and flowed as if it swept into place by natural wind. Besides the lack of creatures outside of themselves, they could easily be strolling through a real section of forest from the outskirts of Atlas.

Stepping through the last line of trees, they found themselves in a clearing that was circular but not too circular. Their feet shuffled against the fake snow on the ground, kicking up tufts with the crunch of each step while Weiss led them to the center of the area. As they walked, she tried to hide several deep breaths the billowed in front of her while she attempted to stem her rapidly-climbing nerves.

When they reached the middle of the area - their starting point before a battle - Weiss took a moment to look around before finding Ruby's eyes. Ruby was still curious, but her curiosity hadn't yet translated into hyperactivity. Instead, she was patiently waiting for whatever was coming next. It was the perfect mood to capture her full attention for a serious question.

The perfect mood...the perfect atmosphere...if a perfect moment truly existed, this might be as close as they'd ever get.

Of course, Weiss still had a significant role to play in this. From the rate her heart pounded in her chest, she doubted she'd be able to pull off her part perfectly. In fact, she could easily play this off as nothing more than an elaborate joke designed to make Ruby believe that something important was about to happen. She could easily alter their path and step away.

But she didn't want to. She meant what she told Yang earlier - she was tired of waiting. Because what was she waiting for? Absolute certainty that Ruby would say yes?

If their lives as huntresses had taught her anything, it was that sometimes risks were necessary. Sometimes they jumped without knowing how far they would fall. Sometimes they ran without knowing what they were running towards.

And sometimes they asked questions without knowing the answers.

"Stand here," she instructed gently, dropping Ruby's hands and taking Ruby's grin as a sign of encouragement. "Now close your eyes."

When Ruby obediently closed her eyes, Weiss waved a hand in front of her to make sure she wasn't peeking. Satisfied with the result, Weiss took a deep breath and pulled the ring out of her pocket.

Kneeling on one knee in the snow, she held the silver engagement ring between her thumb and forefinger and tried to steady her shaking hands. Trembling like a leaf from nerves wasn't very Schnee-like…but to hell with being a Schnee. She wanted to be a Rose.

"Alright," she breathed out - not really ready, but unwilling to back out now. "You can open them now."

Ruby's eyes opened and briefly filled with confusion before she found Weiss kneeling on the ground. The instant their eyes locked, Ruby dropped down into the snow in front of her.

"No, Ruby, you need to stand," Weiss said.

"Oh, but...I don't want you to be down here by yourself…"

Faced with an expression of pure sincerity, Weiss shook her head in wonder. Why had she imagined this would go as planned or as tradition stated it should be? Ruby had never been, and never would be, one for tradition.

"Then we'll do this together," Weiss agreed, reaching out with her free hand to hold Ruby's. As soon as they touched, she felt a thread of comfort weaving through her rampant nerves - assuring her that everything would be ok.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, she was finally going to ask. And then she would pray to all that was holy that – even though the two of them had changed immensely from Beacon to now – Ruby's answer was still the same.

"Ruby Rose," Weiss whispered, trying to ignore the steady hammering of her heart while silver eyes locked onto her. "You are the most wonderfully-brilliant person I've ever met. Compassionate, funny, extremely talented...you're always challenging yourself to improve and, by doing so, challenge those around you to become better as well."

With each word she spoke, it became easier to find the next. This was Ruby, after all...and Weiss could gush about Ruby to the moon and back.

"I'm so lucky…" she continued, squeezing Ruby's hand while looking into those sparkling silver eyes. "I'm so, so lucky that you're the one I stumbled across first in the forest. Ever since that day, you've helped me become a better teammate, a better partner...a better friend. I wouldn't be half the huntress or half the person I am today without you."

When Ruby opened her mouth to protest, Weiss shook her head, and Ruby dutifully closed her mouth again.

"Let me finish first," Weiss said with a small smile, knowing what Ruby was about to argue on her behalf. "You don't have to agree with me, just know that I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of your life. I love you - so much. It might be selfish of me to ask for more, but I've never claimed to be a selfless person. So, Ruby Rose…"

Moving the ring so that Ruby's eyes flicked to it, Weiss took a deep breath and said the words she'd held inside ever since they moved into this house together.

"Will you marry me?"

The question hung in the air while Ruby's eyes flitted from the ring to Weiss and back again. And, before Weiss could even begin to grow worried, a smile appeared on Ruby's lips - becoming a beaming grin in no time.

"That's a question with only one answer," Ruby replied, her smile growing impossibly brighter. "And that's heck yes!"

Heck yes.

Yes.

"Yes?" Weiss repeated, wondering if her ears were deceiving her.

"Yes," Ruby echoed before giggling. "And don't act so surprised, Weiss! You're freaking incredible! And I've wanted to marry you for like...a really long time now."

"You have?"

Ruby said not to act so surprised, but right now Weiss was...dumbstruck. It was one thing to imagine Ruby's response. It was another thing entirely to have it confirmed out loud – again.

"Yeah! I've been thinking about it for a while now," Ruby continued, habitually playing with the ring around her neck before pointing to the new one clutched in Weiss' hand. "I get to wear that one, right?"

Jolting back to tradition, Weiss said, "Of course!" before picking up Ruby's right hand. "I hope you like it…" she murmured while sliding the ring onto Ruby's finger and immediately suffering a round of goosebumps.

Once the engagement ring was in place, Ruby lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers between them.

"It's perfect," she said before bringing her hand close to her face to scrutinize it. "Does it do anything special?"

Laughing at the typical Ruby question, Weiss shook her head and threw her arms around Ruby's neck for a hug.

"You'll have to find out, won't you?" she whispered in Ruby's ear before pulling back and kissing Ruby fully - pouring her love and happiness through a kiss.

When Weiss pulled away, she put both palms on Ruby's cheeks and brought their foreheads gently together. Every bit of her was shaking from nerves and excitement. Her pulse was still racing. Her heart still beating like crazy. But she did it - she asked, and Ruby said yes.

Yang and Blake were right, after all. Of course Ruby said yes. They were meant to be together. Hadn't their past already proven as much?

And now they would get married. Finally.

"I love you," Weiss mumbled, closing her eyes and savoring the sensation of blissful weightlessness spreading through her chest.

"I love you too, Weiss," Ruby answered in a soft voice, and there was no giggle or laugh in her tone. It was one of those rare moments when she was incredibly sincere, honest, and serious at the same time.

After several moments of peaceful quiet that Weiss used to regain her composure, she opened her eyes and found silver watching her intently.

"I'm glad you asked," Ruby whispered with a hint of a grin appearing. "And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you!"

"I can't wait either."

Finally standing from their position kneeling in the snow, Ruby brushed off her knees before offering her hand down to pull Weiss to her feet. The moment she was standing, Ruby wrapped her in another strong hug - one that made her feel incredibly cherished, protected, and loved.

"You know, sometimes things are going to get rough," Ruby said while letting Weiss go, dropping one hand to intertwine with Weiss' while staring deep into her eyes. "Sometimes the world will be horrible and we'll be completely miserable and no matter what we do it'll feel like nothing works and everything is wrong -"

"Wow," Weiss interrupted, making Ruby smile and continue.

"But no matter what happens, we'll make it through. We'll always have each other, Weiss. Even if we're apart, we'll always be together."

Ruby held up her hand, where the silver band sparkled on her finger – this one with their favorite word etched on the outside rather than within.

"Cuz that's what eternity means."

Wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck, Weiss pulled herself up to her tiptoes to kiss Ruby again. And while she breathed in the scent of roses, she felt the love flowing between them - part of a bond that had only grown stronger with time. The two of them were bound together...and Weiss would have it no other way.

Breathless and losing herself in Ruby, she briefly pulled away and ran her fingers through Ruby's hair.

"I love you, Ruby Rose."

"And you're not lying," Ruby teased with a grin that made Weiss laugh.

"Of course not." Shaking her head, she felt Ruby's hands slide to the small of her back and pull her closer. "I'll love you more every day - that's my promise to you."

"I accept your promise and return it tenfold!" Ruby replied, giving Weiss a quick kiss before leaning away. "Now, uh...I mean, this is when we should do something totally romantic, right?"

"Such as?" Weiss asked, raising her brow in anticipation of what Ruby would come up with on such short notice.

"Such as...uh...The Horde?"

Laughing at Ruby's idea of a romantic celebration, Weiss took Ruby's hand and pulled her back through the forest so they could retrieve their weapons.

"If that's what you want to do, then that's what we'll do."

It was unconventional, but that was Ruby - and Weiss loved her all the more for that.

"Think we'll get it this time?" Ruby asked, a skip in her step while she fiddled with the newly-appointed ring on her finger.

"You mean 2.0?" Weiss clarified, receiving a nod before she smiled. "We'll do our best."

While Ruby set up their next challenge, Weiss watched with a silly grin set on her lips.

In their lives - which were never guaranteed to be smooth or uneventful - that was the most they could offer - their best. No matter the trial, no matter the obstacle set in their path, they would strive to their utmost ability to persevere. At times they might fail, at times they might not succeed, but they would be remembered by how they overcame their adversities. And, Weiss' personal hope was that they would be remembered for how they overcame adversity together.

If they ever lost everything...if they ever had to rebuild from scratch…

Well, they'd already done that once before - they could do it again.


End file.
